Hi, thank you for great and informative videos:) we are family with 4 languages (I am lithuanian, my husband is syrian, we speak english together and live in Denmark). We got a spot in bi-lingual (danish/english) kindergarden for our 3y old son. But after listening to your video, I became concern we should rather choose only danish kindergarden to eliminate english. We would still speak english at home between me and my husband - i saw your tip to learn each others language and we try, but both lithuanian and arabic are pretty complicated and not at all similar. Would appreciate your tips what is the best kindergarden for our son - thanks a lot!

@MultilingualFamily

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Giedre. Do you use the OPOL with your child, meaning that you speak Lithuanian to your child and your husband Arabic? You could put your child in an Danish/English Kindergarden. I don't see anything wrong with that. The only thing you have to consider is the amount of time that you and your husband are spending with your child per week to build up your minority languages. If you invest too little time, chances are that your child will understand you but won't speak your minority languages. Children will learn (at least growing up in Denmark) inevitably Danish and English. Most of all if the kids are by the age of 3 at least some days in daycares or kindergardens in those languages.

Does your husband understand Spanish and do you understand Danish? (maybe not fluently but enough to understand what's happening?) Also, what language does your daughter speak to your son? Do you have a preference for what your children speak to each other? How do you balance that out so your kids keep up the language with each other and not just the assigned parent?

@MultilingualFamily

3 жыл бұрын

Good questions! Yes, we understand enough of Spanish and Danish to be able to follow what is happening. We learn along with our children. My children speak with each other all the languages depending on the situation. So if for example they play hide and seek, they tend to do it in Danish, as my husband is the one that plays that with them. When I´m around for example, they play in Spanish etc. So until know it is not clear which language will be the one they will communicate in most of the time. I think that that is something that is out of our hands to control. Kids choose the language they want to speak with each other and I really don´t think that adults can and should intervene.

Are these exercises good for kids below 1 year old?

@MultilingualFamily

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Semih, the games are rather for children that 3+. As you can see in the video, the baby listens and plays basically his own thing. What you can do with babies is look at the flashcards, name them, describe them etc. I still need to add all the games that I have done in the past to my shop. There are only two at the moment, but in the course of the next months, I'll add more.