Elementary School Archives - Bilingual Monkeys

This Could Be Your Child’s Favorite Gift for Christmas This Year

November 25, 2022

“Bearded Dragon, Home Alone” is perfect for parents raising bilingual or multilingual kids because the fun-filled story is conveyed through the pictures alone, which means you can share the book with your children in any language you like! What’s more, you can also tailor the telling of the story to your child’s age and ability, whether in a more simple or more sophisticated way—and have the child tell the story to you, too! This means that the book

Forget Fluency! Instead, Make This Your Goal When Raising Bilingual Kids.

August 19, 2022

This year my daughter, now 18, has taken two English proficiency tests. (English is her minority language; Japanese is her majority language.) The first was the highest level of the EIKEN seven-level test, which is widely used in Japan and is essentially a pass-or-fail sort of exam. And the second test, because she’s now applying to university programs in Japan that emphasize English, was the TOEFL

Bilingual Success Stories #7: Non-Native Parents of English Raise Actively English-Speaking Kids

July 29, 2022

The bilingual journey of this Spanish family is an encouraging example, in a number of ways, of non-native parents nurturing early success. It shows that, despite being non-native speakers of the target language who acknowledge shortcomings in their own language skills, Cristina and Pedro have nevertheless been able to generate significant progress in their children’s bilingual ability through their attitude and actions. And even when faced with difficulties along the way

Guest Post: Our Successful Playgroup for Minority Language Families

February 26, 2022

I’ve always believed that language has a very important social component and I wanted my children to feel that Spanish was a language that allowed them to communicate not only with their mother and their family in Spain, but also with other children and families around them here in Germany. So, in the summer of 2010, when my eldest was about a year and a half

This Wordless Picture Book Is Perfect for Parents Raising Bilingual or Multilingual Kids

December 18, 2021

Bearded dragon is a quiet, mild-mannered little lizard when others are around. But when this spunky reptile is home alone, it’s a very different story! Let the mischief-making begin in this joyful wordless picture book, a fun-filled romp for kids and grown-ups alike!

MY NEW BOOK: “Bilingual Success Stories Around the World”

August 10, 2021

At long last, after three years of work, my new book has been published! I’m thrilled with how it turned out and I’d love for you to read it! Here’s how the book is described… Bilingual Success Stories Around the World: Parents Raising Multilingual Kids Share Their Experiences and Encouragement is a real-life roadmap to greater success and joy for any parent raising bilingual or multilingual children. Written by Adam Beck

Guest Post: What Does It Take to Raise a Multi-literate Child?

May 26, 2021

“AAAAAH ha ha ha ha!!” I was woken up by my sons laughing while reading Super Chien (the French version of Dog Man by Dav Pilkey). Most nights, I’m the one reading a bedtime story to my sons…and I also tend to fall asleep while doing so! But now, my eldest reads French (our minority language, along with Korean) quite fluently

Guest Post: 5 Things I Wish I Had Known About Raising Bilingual Children 10 Years Ago

April 30, 2021

Families are raising bilingual children all over the world. So, when you are expecting a baby and you or your partner speak more than one language, it can seem like a relatively simple project. Let’s raise this baby bilingually! First and foremost, you are about to embark on a beautiful journey which will at times be ‘laugh-out-loud’ funny

Use Coloring Books to Promote Language Exposure for Your Bilingual Kids

June 23, 2020

While it’s vital to provide ample language exposure to our children through continuous efforts like talking to them a lot and reading to them a lot, another productive option for language input involves short-term projects. Over the years I’ve shared a variety of ideas for creative projects—projects pursued by myself or other parents—that can give a significant boost to your bilingual journey by engaging your kids in fun, effective activities that make use of the target language. These projects with

Chameleon Reader: The One Product I Wish I Could Gift to Every Parent and Teacher of Bilingual or Multilingual Children

June 10, 2020

If only Chameleon Reader had been around when I was teaching bilingual kids, and when my own kids were small! It would have been such a fun and effective way to nurture their ability in our minority language! Full disclosure: Over the past eight years, since I began this blog, I’ve regularly gotten requests to review books and products and services with some connection to raising bilingual kids. And in many cases, I’ve received free “review copies” of these things,

Play This Great Indoor Game with Your Kids (And Get Them Eagerly Reading, Too)

May 7, 2020

The other day at The Bilingual Zoo, one mother (thanks, Judit!) described a game she was playing with her young son in the house and how much fun it was for them both. And, at the same time, how it got him reading eagerly in their target language. Reading about her experience, I fondly recalled the times I played this game with my own kids when they were small. And I thought: “Yeah, they’re now teenagers, but I bet they