About this Site

Welcome to Bilingual Monkeys

Bilingual Monkeys offers strategies and support for busy parents seeking to raise children with ability in more than one language. This site, created by an educator and parent who has worked with hundreds of bilingual and multilingual children over the course of many years, provides practical ideas and inspiration to help meet this challenge with greater success—and experience greater joy along the way.

Welcome! My name is Adam Beck and I live in Hiroshima, Japan. I’m originally from the U.S. and I came to Japan in 1996. For a number of years I taught English to bilingual and multilingual children at Hiroshima International School before I began blogging, writing, and coaching. I have two bilingual children who speak Japanese and English (and are learning Spanish, too). My daughter, Lulu, is now 18 and my son, Roy, is 15. My wife, Keiko, is Japanese and uses Japanese with our kids; I communicate with them in English, our minority language. (These aren’t their real names because I promised to preserve at least a little of their privacy when I began this blog.)
 
This is a photo of us when we were all a bit younger.

Beyond this Blog

I launched Bilingual Monkeys in the fall of 2012. As of January 2023, there are a total of 499 blog posts, including 42 guest posts from experts in the field and experienced parents, as well as 3,622 comments. Feel free to browse through the posts or search for something more specific.

I started The Bilingual Zoo forum in 2014, a lively worldwide community where parents can share their experiences and lend mutual support. There are now 1,375 members, 1,247 threads, and 13,065 posts. Membership is free.

You can also find me at YouTube and at social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

I’ve written a number of books, including the popular guide Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability, praised worldwide by parents and leaders in the field of child bilingualism; the encouraging collection of real-world experiences, Bilingual Success Stories Around the World, covering a wide range of successful bilingual and multilingual families; and the playful “picture book for adults” titled I WANT TO BE BILINGUAL! (illustrated by Pavel Goldaev), which emphasizes the most important information parents need for realizing joyful success on a bilingual journey.

And if you’d like my personal, customized support, I can help supercharge your family’s success and joy through Bilingual SuperKids, my private coaching program for parents raising bilingual and multilingual children.

I hope you find my work a helpful source of support for your family’s bilingual or multilingual journey. I’m cheering for you and your kids!

With my best bilingual wishes,