As I now offer a wide range of resources designed to support parents on a bilingual or multilingual journey with their children, I thought it might be helpful to finally bring them together in a single, handy post. Most of these resources are completely free.
This page may be worth bookmarking and sharing, and as the number of resources continues to grow or change, I’ll make a point of updating this information.
Bilingual Monkeys FREE
All this began with the Bilingual Monkeys blog in the fall of 2012, when I started to share my longtime experience as a teacher and parent of bilingual and multilingual children.
This blog has grown to become one of the most popular sites in the field of child bilingualism, with a wealth of content that includes (as of December 23, 2019) 434 posts, 28 pages, and 3,407 comments.
Among these pages are “resource pages” that provide lists of posts, grouped by theme, to make the large amount of content at this site more accessible. The main resource pages, which I try to update from time to time, are: New Parents; The Essentials; Creative Ideas; Deeper Inspiration; Great Resources; and Fun Stuff.
And don’t miss the many wise guest posts from experienced parents and experts in the field.
Bilingual Monkeys Newsletter FREE
I also offer a free newsletter, via email, which is not only the best way to keep up with my work, it can also serve as a regular source of encouragement for advancing your bilingual or multilingual goal. Subscribe to my newsletter.
The Bilingual Zoo FREE
I opened this forum in the summer of 2014 after the growing audience at Bilingual Monkeys began making requests for a way to interact more easily with one another. At this point, it’s become such a lively worldwide community that it’s hard for me to keep up with all the posts!
Currently (as of December 23, 2019), there are 1,112 registered members and many more visitors, and a total of 1,114 threads and 11,545 posts. To join our friendly community, see this page of information on how to become a member.
Some of the most popular boards include Introduce Yourself; Questions & Concerns; Strategies, Ideas, & Resources; Take a Challenge; and Track Your Progress.
At this site you’ll also find my fun gallery of bilingual memes, which often appear first at my Facebook page.
Bilingual Monkeys TV FREE
My growing YouTube channel, which offers a variety of fun and useful videos. You might start with the series 50 Tips for Raising Bilingual Children or check out the comical interviews of me, my son, and my daughter.
My children and I even made a short film together called Purple Monster in the Woods.
Bilingual Adventures
This publishing imprint produces engaging nonfiction and fiction for language-loving families. These books help to sustain the many free resources I offer and your support, through your purchases and reviews, is always deeply appreciated.
The first nonfiction book, released in April 2016, is Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability: Ideas and inspiration for even greater success and joy raising bilingual kids. This empowering guidebook to the bilingual journey has been praised worldwide by both parents and experts in the field. Learn more about the book, read reviews, and find out how to get a copy.
The second nonfiction book, released in August 2019, is I WANT TO BE BILINGUAL! Narrated by a lively baby, this delightful “picture book for adults” emphasizes the most important information parents need for realizing joyful success on a bilingual or multilingual journey. Learn more about the book and find out how to get a copy.
The first fiction title, released in January 2018, is How I Lost My Ear. An award-winning, action-packed adventure for all ages, this laugh-out-loud novel was written by Adam Beck and illustrated by Simon Farrow. Learn more about the book, see illustrations, and find out how to get a copy.
Instant Inspiration for Parents Raising Bilingual Kids FREE
Initially released in 2014, my popular e-book Instant Inspiration for Parents Raising Bilingual Kids can now be downloaded freely (or for a modest donation to help support my work, the choice is yours). This PDF resource features quotes that I gathered over a period of 15 years and then carefully selected with parents of bilingual/multilingual children in mind. The result is a “power pack” of wisdom that runs over 17,000 words and includes 636 motivating quotes. Learn more about it and download the file.
Facebook and Twitter
You’ll also find me on social media, at Facebook and Twitter. If you’re not already following the pages below, please do!
Bilingual Adventures on Twitter
For this post, I simply wanted to sum up the resources that are currently available for my work. When it comes to raising bilingual children, there are certainly many other helpful resources, too, and I regularly share such resources at Bilingual Monkeys, The Bilingual Zoo, and via social media. Please feel free to add a comment below with links to other resources you recommend!
6 Responses
This is a great collection of resources that support parents who are a bilingual child. Thank you for your fantastic book and the awesome community!
Amanda, thank you! I have very fond memories of our discussion at Miss Panda Chinese. I hope all is well with you and your family!
Do you have any recommendations for monolingual parents attempting to raise bilingual children? My children (5 & 8) are in Japanese school but we will return to English speaking schools after spending about six years in the Japanese school system. Looking to see how other monolingual households support their bilingual kids. FYI, we are trying to learn the language…just rather unsuccessfully.
I’m sorry for my slow reply! I was in China and just returned to Japan!
If your children won’t have much opportunity to engage in Japanese at home and at school, you’ll need the support of Japanese speakers to sustain your children’s development in this language. Please see this post for detailed advice…
5 Ways for Your Bilingual Child to Interact with Other Speakers of the Minority Language
You might also find ideas and encouragement at my forum, The Bilingual Zoo, a lively community that includes some monolingual parents who are raising bilingual children.
Hope this is helpful! All the best from Hiroshima!
Hi! I am so happy I found this site. My husband and I were born in Puerto Rico and raised mostly in Spanish. Instruction is in Spanish but from K-12 there’s an everyday English class. We moved to the US when our oldest was 14 and youngest was 5. The oldest can speak both languages beautifully (English without an accent, which me and my husband have) but my little one, in an ESL program has almost forgotten the Spanish he learned for 5 years! He’s almost 10 and even though we speak Spanish at home, he: 1. responds in English 2. Struggles when he’s forced to respond in Spanish 3. Does not seem to want to speak it or is interested in it at all 4. Might be self-conscious that he doesn’t speak it as well. I will definitely make a conscious effort to add more Spanish only hours with him. Thanks for your tips.
Maria, yes, your younger child needs more exposure to Spanish on a daily basis. And along with strengthening this input at home, if you can also increase his opportunities to interact with other Spanish speakers—especially “monolingual” speakers of Spanish (they don’t really have to be monolingual, but your son assumes they are because they have been told not to speak English in his presence)—then you will be fortifying the two “core conditions” for fostering active language ability: the child receives ample exposure to the target language and feels a genuine need to use it.
For further ideas on bringing in others to support the efforts that you and your husband are making, please see…
5 Ways for Your Bilingual Child to Interact with Other Speakers of the Minority Language
All the best to you and your family, Maria! For ongoing support, The Bilingual Zoo could be very helpful to you, too!