Singapore is a bilingual country, so it makes sense for all children to learn both Mandarin and English at school. But how do you help your child develop without knowing the language yourself?
Learning a new language is a skill that sets up your children for life – and here in bilingual Singapore, it makes sense for children to learn both English and Mandarin. For some families, neither is their mother tongue, which makes language aquisition even more of a challenge – yet almost 50% of families surveyed by HoneyKids are attempting to raise their child as bilingual. So, how do we best overcome the obstacles of learning a new language and help our children to develop, especially if you don’t know the language yourself?
We asked our panel of parents, both local and expats:
“Do you have any advice to share for supporting your kids with their languages?”
“Language acquisition is all about immersion. Maximum exposure to the language is crucial. If the parents don’t speak the language, the child should have at least minimum exposure to the language each day .This can be achieved by watching TV programs or listening to songs in the said language.”
Sri Rahayu, Singaporean, two kids
“I’m learning with my children so that it will be more fun. It’s pretty amusing for the kids that their parents are learning together with them, too.”
Ashley Tan, Singaporean, two kids
“We provide our eldest with a tutor since I can’t be there to help. I have thought about getting Mandarin lessons myself, but I’m being realistic with three boys and little sleep that it’s not going to happen at this point in my life.”
Britney Williams, American, three kids
“I command both languages spoken in our household. No issue there. I suggest and was told that each parent should stick to their mother tongue.”
Olga Grant, Netherlands, two kids
“You go through the learning process together. Learning together makes you more patient and allows you to understand your child’s obstacles.”
Maria Athena Catedral Bughao, Filipino, two kids
“Learn the basics of the language yourself. It helps to understand the difficulties they go through.”
Lena Lee, Singaporean, two kids
“My husband and I are both from India but we speak different languages. So the common language at home is now English. So we think in English and it’s difficult to switch to our native tongues. I am trying to get my kids to learn at least one Indian language. For now, we try to speak to them occasionally in our native tongues. Going forward, I intend to enroll our kids in private classes.
Aruna Rao, Indian, two kids
“We speak all the languages my children are being taught.”
Roberta Ciccone, American, five kids
“iPad apps are great to assist when you don’t know the language yourself.”
Priscilla Gosh, Australian, two kids
*Some of the above names have been changed, as requested by a handful of members in the panel.