Teaching your children
Hi guys, there may already be a question about this, but I'd rather have new, fresh opinions of it, if you don't mind. 
I myself am a freshman in college, so this doesn't apply to me right away, as I plan to be established before I have a family, but I am still curious, since I can't wait to be a mom. How many of you guys speak Spanish fluently as a second language and do/don't teach it to your children? I am just curious about the general consensus, but I know couples that have done it both ways. It seems that mainly, when the children don't learn, it's because only one parent speaks it, so there is not as much exposure to the language.
Looking toward the future, I am wondering how I will teach my children to be bilingual if I do not marry a Spanish speaker... also wondering if you guys had any advice or stories and strategies from your own experiences?
I was just thinking about this today, and was curious to come here and get some feedback on it.
8 Answers
A site called SpanglishBaby may be interesting to you. I don't even have kids but I spent several hours poking around on it. It has all kinds of interesting information. There are lots of strategies for raising bilingual kids, and they recommend books and talk about the pros and cons of several of the strategies, and discuss the challenges. Despite the name, it looks like it would be very helpful for people trying to raise kids bilingual in any languages.
Last Christmas, we went to Lanzarote. I knew only a few words of Spanish. From a phrasebook, I taught my son "Happy Christmas" and "strawberry ice cream".
"Feliz Navidad" guaranteed excellent service, and "fresa helado" guaranteed him a free dessert in every restaurant we visited.
That holiday gave us both an interest in learning Spanish.
Hey Megan!
Thought I would chip in my two cents here...
I am a native English speaker but I am learning Spanish. I have a two year old son and really want him to learn Spanish now, rather than later on in life.
I study languages at university and it is generally accepted that children under the age of seven or so learning languages so much quicker than adults so it is really worth tapping into that potential at a young age!
I can't remember the exact quote but children learn on average 14 words a day when they are young so if you can make sure even two or three of them are Spanish your child would soon have a large vocabulary in Spanish.
My son watches a cartoon called 'Pocoyo' in Spanish and he is only allowed to watch it if he asks me in Spanish. We talk about what happens in it in Spanish but I repeat the sentences in English as well. I can see he is picking up the Spanish. For example, now when he sees an egg he says 'es un huevo' instead of 'it's an egg' but he does understand that it is an egg!
Try to incorporate Spanish in everyday life (like I count in Spanish when we walk up and down the stairs). We sing Spanish nursery rhymes and I read him story books in Spanish.
He does seem a little confused at times (and sometimes gets cross with me if I say something in Spanish 
) but I think a lot of this is frustration because he doesn't quite get what I am saying. But the human brain is quite remarkable and well able to adapt - and a child's brain even more so!
I guess the most important thing is repetition, consistency and having fun! 
Good luck with your future! 
Congratulations, Megan, on wanting to raise your children bilingual!! I only wish that I had done this for my son when he was growing up. You have such a great plan and I wish you the very best.
Because your children will get tons of exposure to English at school, at home I'd would:
? Speak as much Spanish as possible when speaking directly to the kids
? Hire a part-time tutor, or invite a Spanish friend, to come over and chat with you
? Allow more Spanish cartoons or DVDs on the television than those in English
? Make lists in Spanish of chores, homework, sports schedules, etc. on a big board in the kitchen
?Place little yellow stickies on the fridge, coffee maker, lamps, etc. with their Spanish names
? Read them bedtime stories in Spanish
Good luck!!!
Not having kids, it is awfully easy for me to tell you what I would do if I did. By that I mean that if I had kids, I might learn that some of the things I would want for them wouldn't work.
But if I had kids, they would be speaking at least 4 languages by the time they entered first grade. Child levels, I don't mean they would be internationally renowned translators, but they would be able to greet, express their wants, needs, desires, ask for and give directions, and thank people in at least 4 languages.
I am so envious of the young folk that have the benefit of the internet - instant travel to anywhere in the world. If I had kids, I wouldn't try to regale them with stories of having to walk 10 miles to school and 10 miles home. Uphill both ways ... in blinding snow ... I would be working too hard to not let them take the internet for granted and to impress upon them the value of communication.
If it's available in your area, also consider an "immersion" school--where students are taught for half a day or more in a foreign language. Many start from kindergarten. They'll pick it up pretty well that way and be able to practice--and you could reinforce it at home if you are fluent, or semi-fluent. Be sure to have material at home in Spanish, too--movies, radio, books, websites, etc.
If they don't keep practicing the language (outside of class or otherwise) then it will essentially deteriorate and/or disappear on them, even if they were completely fluent as kids. :( That's what happened to my French.
Well I know that your question doesn't apply to me (because I'm a spanish speaker, ando my second language is english) but in order to teach my daughter to speak english I tell her the english word as I teach her the spanish one, (she is 2 years old) maybe is easier for us because you only have to leave the TV on, to see millons of english words.
Thanks so much for all of the awesome advice! Please keep it coming! I love this
Honestly, my number one strategy is to marry a hot, hispanic man, and then he can help teach them Spanish. haha No, but, seriously, I think that most children in America are so underestimated... Not that I will be a strict, hard mom, but I will just raise them to naturally expect the most out of themselves. Learning two languages at a young age really isn't that difficult for them, as Kristen has said about her son. It's just a matter of setting the expectation, I believe.
