Speaking Archives - Bilingual Monkeys

Guest Post: Why Your Child Understands But Won’t Speak (And What “Copying” Can Teach Us About Bridging That Gap)

March 4, 2026

I grew up in Germany as the child of immigrants, and for as long as I can remember, I lived between two worlds of language. At school and with friends, everything was in German. At home, my parents spoke their own language, and I understood every word. But for a long time, I mostly answered in German. Not because I didn’t know the other language, not because I didn’t care about it, but because understanding it and actually producing it felt like

Guest Post: How Meaningful Conversations Strengthen Both Language Learning and Family Bonds

April 8, 2025

When we think about raising bilingual children, we often focus on books, songs, and exposure to the target language. But one of the most powerful tools for developing fluency—while also strengthening family connections—is simply asking great questions

Will You Fail at Raising a Bilingual Child? (5 Reasons You Might)

July 5, 2024

Here are 5 key reasons why parents end up failing at their bilingual or multilingual aim for their children. You’ll surely succeed if you avoid all 5 reasons! To guarantee the success and joy of your family’s bilingual or multilingual journey

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

3 Free Gifts for Bilingual Families (Get Them Before Christmas!)

December 14, 2023

Parents of bilingual and multilingual kids, would you like some free and useful gifts to help power your progress through the holidays and beyond?

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!)

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

Bilingual Success Stories #3: Intentional Efforts Empower the Journey Even Before Birth

May 31, 2022

Victor and Olya may have grown up on opposite sides of the Earth, but their mutual love of languages ultimately brought them together somewhere in between, in a small city in the American heartland. They both had studied German and shared a mutual interest in the mechanics of German

Bilingual Success Stories #17: Building Community and Boosting the Success of Many Families

March 13, 2022

I recently shared Marta Garcia’s encouraging guest post Our Successful Playgroup for Minority Language Families and thought I would now follow up by offering the full story of her rewarding experience raising three bilingual children. Her family’s story, along with the inspiring, in-depth stories of 25 other families, is featured in Bilingual Success Stories Around the World: Parents Raising Multilingual Kids Share Their Experiences and Encouragement.

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!

FREE RESOURCES FOR PARENTS RAISING BILINGUAL KIDS

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