Many parents want their children to be bilingual in English and Chinese, but what is the best to develop bilingualism in children?

TEACH BOTH LANGUAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY. A child has the inborn ability to learn multiple languages. As such, children under three or four need not be able to distinguish which sentence is English and which is Chinese. To naturally help child to build up the language logics, we need to teach them to express themselves in correct, fluent sentences in a conducive environment which will lead to successful bilingualism.

AVOID MIXING THE TWO LANGUAGES. When communicating with children, consistently use language that is correct and standardized. To main the purity of each language, we should not mix both languages in a single sentence.

BUILD A CONDUCIVE HOME ENVIRONMENT. The most ideal home environment for bilingualism is to have someone communicating with the child wholly in English, and someone communicating with the child wholly in Chinese.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT CENTRE. Some families lack the environment for bilingualism. Thus, selecting a good bilingual school for the child will be important. When learning a language, a child requires more than one or two hours of lessons in class – the language environment in their daily lives also plays a big role. In class, children learn through nursery rhymes, songs and storybooks. Although most children are able to read and speak Chinese, they are unable to communicate with others and express themselves appropriately in their daily lives. Therefore, when it comes to bilingual schools, parents should evaluate the classroom lessons as well as the bilingual environment.

LOOK FOR ENRICHMENT CLASSES IN MANDARIN. For a child to master bilingualism, Chinese lessons alone may not achieve the best results. To balance children’s exposure to the two languages, parents can look for calligraphy, dance and music classes that are taught in Chinese.

Song Yu Hong
Principal-director
Yuquan Preschool/Yuquan Language School