Bi-lingual parenting – Spanish speakers
I have a two-year-old who, since her birth, has only spoken Spanish. My husband only speaks English. I would like to:
- find a source of Latin American children’s books;
- find one or two women with children of the same age who are being brought up bilingually (Spanish/English) and who would be interested in meeting regularly;
- find advice on bringing up children bilingually.
There are several mail order firms that specialise in books and sometimes also story tapes in a range of different languages. Here are some possibilities:
Letterbox Library 020 7503 4801
Magi Publications 020 7385 6333
Mantra Publishing 020 8445 5123
If you want to meet people face-to-face locally you could try contacting your local National Childbirth Trust group (if one exists in your area). You could also try drop-in centres for parents and young children, local pre-schools or nurseries. You can find out about such facilities for young children and families through your local Children’s Information Service. The telephone number should be in the telephone directory. If not, contact local authority departments with titles like ‘under eights’ or ‘services for children and families’.
If you live in an area with a diversity of languages and cultures, you should find some local groups and sources of advice (through the Children’s Information Service again). Otherwise, the organisation Multilingual Matters (tel 01275 876519 and website www.multilingual-matters.com) has a Bilingual Family Newsletter and a list of books, some of which are suitable for parents.
You sound as if you’re doing a great job. Children need to hear a fluent version of each language from the adults in their life. It also helps when they can speak with other bilingual children. This experience gives children a reason to use their languages. Children also talk differently amongst themselves, thus extending their use of language. Using books and story tapes in both languages also supports the interest and extends children’s understanding of the written word as they get older.
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