In a previous post, I explained…
You see, half the battle of raising a bilingual child is making the time and opportunity to provide exposure in the minority language. The other half is making the most of that time and opportunity by maximizing the child’s engagement. In my experience, the most effective way to achieve this is by matching the child’s madness for play.
I then shared a concrete example of this with a videotaped interview of my son. If you missed that post, I highly recommend a look: not only does it describe my “method” in detail, the interview with Roy is quite funny…
VIDEO: With Bilingual Kids, There’s a Madness to My Method
An interview of her own
Well, ever since I made that post, my daughter has been demanding an interview of her own—which underscores my point about the appeal of play. Lulu saw the fun her brother had in that first interview, and she wanted some fun, too! And, for my purposes, it was another prime opportunity to engage her in the minority language! 
So sit back and watch this wacky interview with my 10-year-old daughter. (Your kids might enjoy it, too.) And keep in mind that this activity—a videotaped interview of silly questions and responses—can be a really fun and effective way to promote the minority language.
Two more silly interviews
Don’t miss the silly interviews of Roy and me! Just click on the images below to visit those posts!
11 Responses
Hilarious! Simply hilarious! Hahahahahahahaha… Thanks for brightening up my day.
Mei, Lulu and I are happy to hear your positive feedback!
I agree with Mei…the last one was the best…you both are so funny!
Thanks, Agnes! Have a funny day!
Hilarious. She reminds me a lot of mine. Just as goofy.
Also, I love the dance. Tell Lulu that please.
Tatyana, Lulu and I thank you! Goofy is great!
My little girl says, “It was very silly!”
I’m really impressed at Lulu’s English. You’re doing a great job, Adam!
Thank you, Sarah! Silly Lulu (and her silly father) say hello to your daughter!
My daughter (age 6) and I just watched all three videos. She liked Lulu’s the best, although she was sorry when Lulu hit her hand on the table! She was quite perplexed by many of the questions, but was glued to the screen nonetheless.
For me, I’m always impressed when kids living outside the US come out with American accents. Similarly, my daughter’s English has no hint of an Italian accent, and it still amazes me. 🙂
Have a good day!
Amy
Amy, thanks for braving our videos! I can see how the questions might be perplexing to your daughter, though I hope she enjoyed them. (And tell her that Lulu’s hand is all better now!)
Yes, these native-like accents are no doubt a function of the fact that the exposure began right from birth. The Japanese children I’ve taught over the years tend to have traces of their mother tongue in their English speech, if only slightly, when they start learning the language at later stages of childhood.
Cheers from Japan to Italy!
“native-like accents” — I like that term. 🙂
Ciao!
Amy