Elementary School Archives - Bilingual Monkeys

Guest Post: The Power of Plush: How Stuffed Toys Boost a Child’s Bilingual Ability

June 14, 2024

In just a couple of weeks, my son will celebrate his fourth birthday. The realisation that he has transitioned from toddler to child is astounding on its own, but it also marks another significant milestone: four years of communicating exclusively with him in my non-native language, Italian. Throughout this time, I’m fairly certain I’ve only spoken to him in my native language, English, a handful of times

Blogathon: Is Your Bilingual Child Not Using the Minority Language As Actively As You’d Like?

September 18, 2023

Quick quiz! What is the one all-important and universal thing when it comes to successfully raising a bilingual child? (In fact, this is probably the only thing that’s actually universal for families worldwide and, without it, there’s no chance of success at all!)

Maintain This Key Mindset for Bilingual Success (And That Wasn’t Me Asking My Daughter for Cigarettes)

May 19, 2023

Last month my daughter was 6. Next month she’ll be 19. Now, factually, I know this isn’t true, but it certainly feels that way. As mindful as I tried to be when it came to the passing of time, day by day, in the end my kids have still grown into young adults much faster than I ever imagined. Today let me emphasize this key idea by sharing a few journal entries from a little 6-year-old girl

What NOT to Do When You’re Struggling to Raise a Bilingual Child

May 1, 2023

Over the many years I’ve been working with bilingual and multilingual families, I’ve sought to support parents with ideas and encouragement for maintaining momentum and overcoming difficulties. Through a range of ways—through this blog, through my forum, through my books, through email and social media, through workshops and consulting sessions, and now through my new private coaching program

A Game Changer for Our Bilingual Journey

January 16, 2023

What sort of powerful impact could Bilingual SuperKids have on *your* bilingual journey?

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

FREE RESOURCES FOR PARENTS RAISING BILINGUAL KIDS

Elementary School