Maybe the only language spoken in your house is English. Maybe the only Mandarin you can muster comes courtesy of the Nickelodeon Jr. TV show, “Ni hao, Kai-lan.” Maybe you’re not even sure if Ni hao or Kai-lan is the name of the main character.
Marty Abbott, director of education for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages offers some tips on how to bridge the gap.
Be enthusiastic. You can help set the tone for your child in whether this will be a fun adventure or a scary source of anxiety. "It's very important that parents maintain a completely positive attitude and just be there as a support for their child," Abbott said.
Emphasize that they're not alone. This goes along with being enthusiastic, but basically point out everyone's in the same boat. Says Abbott: "I think that parents can go a long way with alleviating those fears by just letting the child know that nobody else has been sitting at home learning Mandarin."
2+2=4 in any language. While your child may be hearing math and science
lessons in a different language, you can still reinforce the core concepts with
them to help them learn. At the same time, if your child can't do the homework, let the teacher know.
Keep reading. Don't stop reading books in English to your child just because he or she is learning another language, she said. It's important to keep those English literacy skills developing as well.
Expand your family outings. Seek out cultural events that incorporate the target language to attend as a family.
Immerse yourself. OK, maybe you don't have the time or inclination to immerse yourself in a new language. But consider taking a class yourself to just learn some greetings. Or just talk with your child's teacher to see if there's some way you can learn a little of the language and be supportive to your child.