Supporting Multilingual Children at Home: A Parent’s Perspective
During the Supporting Multilingual Children at Home parent workshop, speakers Ute Limacher-Riebold and Yoshito Darmon-Shimamori shared insights on how families can nurture multilingualism in everyday life. Arnaud, a Group 3 parent, attended the session and shared his experiences raising a multilingual child.
Balancing Languages at Home and School
With French and Spanish spoken at home, an English-language school, and life in the Netherlands, balancing languages is a challenge for Arnaud’s family. Early on, they focused on distinguishing sounds and letters, laying a foundation for Léa’s multilingual development. “The key for our household has been to strike a good balance between the home languages and the school language while exposing Léa to the country language,” he explains.
Making Language Learning Fun
The workshop reinforced the importance of prioritizing listening and speaking before focusing on reading and writing. Arnaud highlighted the need to recognize when a child is overwhelmed and to step back when necessary. Play has been an essential tool in their household—word games, Scrabble, and language apps like Nessy have helped expand Léa’s vocabulary in an engaging way. “Some little games, such as finding words that start with a specific letter, really help make it more entertaining for our child and support expansion of the vocabulary,” he shares.
Navigating Challenges
Like many multilingual families, they’ve experienced language mixing, where English words creep into conversations in other languages. Instead of forcing corrections, they encourage natural absorption through play and real-life interactions. “Playing is a big part of language development, as it presents opportunities to put our child in certain situations and absorb the language naturally, rather than academically,” Arnaud notes.
How Schools Can Help
Arnaud praised Optimist International School for celebrating linguistic diversity and fostering an environment where children feel supported in their multilingual journey. He emphasized the importance of continuing to encourage students to read and write in their home languages, helping them stay connected to their cultural roots while excelling academically.
The Supporting Multilingual Children at Home workshop underscored the power of language—not just as a communication tool, but as a bridge to identity, culture, and a sense of belonging in a diverse world.
For more ideas and resources on multilingualism, visit:
🔗 Ute’s International Lounge & Academy
🔗 Library 4 Multilinguals