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Speaking German as a second language with your kids

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Raising Bilingual Kids

 

I've been speaking German (and English) with my American-born kids for almost 8 years now. In 2003, I turned my passion for German into my business, Alphabet Garten, offering German-language children's books to other like-minded parents. Along the way, I've spoken to thousands of customers, tried all kinds of things, hit a few bumps, and generally had a lot of fun. This lens is a collection of information I've gleaned over the years from raising my kids as well as talking to many other parents.

Getting started. Questions, questions, questions. 

As if parenting weren't hard enough already, adding a second language to the mix generates so many many questions. Who will speak which language to the child? What do we do when friends and family come to visit? What if my spouse doesn't speak German? Will he feel left out? What if my German isn't perfect? Will my child pick up on my American accent? I feel silly chattering in German to a baby who doesn't understand me anyway! Is it better to start now or wait until the child has English firmly established? Do I say things in German and English when there are other kids over? Will other parents on the playground think I'm weird for speaking German to my kid when he is obviously responding in English? (This pattern of response is more common than you might think). Can I introduce German as a second language to an older child? And on and on and on. You get the picture.

The Basics - Auf Deutsch, bitte. 

German input will eventually yield German output.

I can tell you that it's really very straightforward, although your personal implementation may be quite complex. In essence, someone should speak German to the child. That's it. Easy, huh? That someone can be one or both parents, a grandparent or other relative, or someone else who has frequent contact with the child. It might be an everyday occurrence, maybe only on the weekends, maybe even once or twice a week. Obviously the more German the child hears, the more proficient he will become. This person might be a native speaker or might have learned German as an adult (as in my case). The person might not even speak exclusively German with the child (see language patterns below).

The rest is just details. Ahh but the devil is in the details, right? Right. So read on.

For Inspiration 

Read how other families have done it.
1 Family: 3 Children, 3 different stories
Patricia's story on my own blog about her three children learning English, French and Spanish.
Make Your Own Language Rules!
Lots of exposure to different languages produces enthusiastic learners.
Bilingual Parenting
Inspiring article with lots of details by Nadine Lichtenberger.
Interview with Nadine Lichtenberger
Lots of specifics here in a conversational interview format.
Bilingual Babies - Tribune Review
More stories from bilingual families
Multilingual Living Magazine
Extensive online magazine packed with articles of interest to bilingual parents. The first few pages are usually available for free. Highly recommended.

1. Educate yourself and make a plan 

Whether you're beginning to speak a second language with a newborn or a middle-schooler, preparation is key. Educate yourself to the different patterns that your language use may take. Arm yourself against well-meaning nay-sayers who will tell you your child will grow up confused by two languages (he won't) or that speaking two languages will delay his speech (it won't). See the links below for articles and books with further information.

Spend some time developing your goals for your child. Do you want her to be able to have a close relationship with Oma in Berlin or does she just need to be able to order a meal in German? Does he need written fluency or is spoken proficiency enough? Does he need an understanding of the culture of your target language? Do you just want to give him a taste of a foreign language?

You can read about our unusual mixture of German and English on my blog.

Further Reading - Basics of Bilingual Families 

Bilingual Language Patterns
Great article explaining different language patterns or systems. You may have head about OPOL, ml@h - this will make these terms clear.
Learning Two Languages
Overview on introducing a second language from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
OPOL4US
A website as introduction to a book by the same name. The website has an excellent discussion of various language strategies used by bilingual families.

2. Gather support 

The more foreign language input you have for your child, the better she will absorb the language and embrace it. Support can take the form of local friends and family members, playgroups that you find or sponsor yourself, trips to your target country, and long-distance relationships with relatives and friends in the target country.

Monolingual friends and family can also be a great source of support - let them know your plan and give them suggestions on how they can help you and your child. A few positive comments said within earshot of your child can do wonders for one who is feeling unsure of his proficiency. Kids who are old enough and proficient enough can act as translator when relatives come to visit - a very important job!

3. Gather resources 

Build a home library. Books, books, and more books, plus some fun music, and maybe a few DVDs and games thrown in for good measure. Some parents pretend they only know how to read in the minority language, forcing the issue for bedtime stories, at least until kids are old enough to know better. I know some parents who own only German DVDs. The kids are happy 'cause they get to watch TV and the parents are glad to be reinforcing the minority language a little bit each time Dora the Explorer comes on.

Depending on your target language, you may also find a wide selection at your local public library. Spanish books are widely available and you may also have success with French, Italian and German. And don't underestimate the power of organized library patrons. Libraries will often approve funding for foreign language works if you can show that there is an interest in the community.

Build your German library 

Places you can find German language materials.
Alphabet Garten
My own business, offering a hand-picked selection of German children's books, music and audiobooks, and German DVDs.
Books without Borders
A small but nice selection of German books for kids.
World of Reading
German books including many titles for middle school and high school.
Buecher Stube
Another German book supplier

eBay Auctions 

Ebay is a great place to find used books, often sold in lots. Make sure to check shipping charges before bidding.

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eBay

4. Try it out 

If you're starting with a newborn, all you need is a few picture books, a couple CDs and the motivation to start speaking in your target language, from birth if possible. It's so much easier to establish a habit of speaking the minority language from the beginning, rather than having to change down the line.

If you're starting with an older child, you may need to ease into it. Try picking a time of day, perhaps breakfast, where you plan say everything in the minority language and then translate to English when she needs clarification. Then you can slowly decrease the amount of English spoken and increase the times you use for your target language. Through repetition, your child will begin to pick up bits and pieces without much, if any, formal teaching required.

5. Be prepared to change! 

You can be sure with kids that they will surprise you and there will be bumps in the road, diversions to the plan and probably some roadblocks! We have continually been revising our language plan over the past 8 years. We've had a monolingual grandma living with us (try keeping German up in that situation! You'll be repeating yourself in English and German all day long so no one is left out). We've had new babies and kids who refused to speak or listen to German. One of our children, who shall remain nameless, currently claims to not understand any German and refuses to watch any German DVDs. He does enjoy, however, German music. We have dealt with special needs diagnoses. So we've learned to go with the flow. And when we get our feet back on the ground, we pick up where we left off and try to figure it out all over again.

Research on Bilingual Kids 

Here are some more in-depth articles on bilingualism in children.
Children's way with words sparks research
Dr. Elena Nicoladis, a professor in the University of Alberta Department of Psychology, found her own children prompted fascinating language research questions.
Ask A Linguist FAQ - Bilingual Children
It's good to have an "official" perspective on the subject when faced with criticism.
Raising Bilingual Children: Common Parental Concerns and Current Research
Bilingualism isn't linked to delays in speech or language acquisition. Also, commercial language materials (TV programs, CDs designed to teach a language) are much less effective than reading to or conversing with a child.
Research Links from the Bilingual / Bicultural Family Network
Many more links to research with brief summaries.

Alphabet Garten Blog 

German book reviews, thoughts on bilingualism, and homeschooling

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Resources 

More good stuff

Myths about Bilingualism
I love this article - I hear these kinds of things cited over and over and it's great to have responses ready when well-meaning people offer unsolicited advice.
10 tips for encouraging minority Language
Nice ideas here.
Raising Bilingual Children: The Different Methods to Success
A succinct article by Christina Bosemark of the Multilingual children's Association on the different language patterns families often choose for bilingual living.
MULTI TONGUE KIDS
An active blog with lots of great info from a mom of two kids growing up with 4 languages!
German Alphabet
Pronunciation of the alphabet.
Tierlexikon
German.about.com's Tierlexikon - what do animals say in German?

Bilingual language patterns 

Tell us how you divide up the languages in your family.

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Reader Feedback 

What questions do you have? Do you like what you see? Maybe have something to add? Let me hear from you!

Jimmie

Great lens! I am inspired by your efforts to teach your children German! My case is much simpler since we live in a foreign country. It takes little effort (except attitude) on my part to make it happen.

Posted May 20, 2008
KimGiancaterino

Excellent resource! Blessed by a Squid Angel.

Posted April 15, 2008
BilingualMom

Elizabeth,

It sounds like you have an aggressive, well-thought out plan for your kids. I think the native exposure you're providing through trips and immersion preschool is probably a huge part of your success - that and the fact that you manage to speak German with your kids daily. Congratulations!

I have heard of people hiring native speakers (tutors or otherwise) just to chat and interact with their kids in German - this is a great idea and helps to make German fun and not just something mom does and nobody else.

Posted April 09, 2008
Elizabeth

WOW - 1000 characters doesn't go far. I'll give an outline version of our approach and would appreciate advice from others in the same position as Kevin (& me):
-quantity of exposure: I speak a minimum of 2 hrs with my kids (1.5 & 3yrs) daily
-variety of exposure: conversation, singing, games, videos, reading, travel
-quality of exposure: weekly (paid) contact (2-3 hrs) with a native speaker focused on speaking with the children.
-last summer we traveled to Switzerland/Germany for a month to boost exposure. This summer my oldest is old enough for German immersion preschool. We've found one in Mpls/St Paul and are planning to spend a month up there.
I'm not a native speaker and my German is actually fairly creaky. Despite this HUGE drawback, my daughter has outstanding comprehension and *can* say things in German (although she chooses to speak English almost exclusively). This is a testament to children's affinity for language more than to my effort. My son's not talking much yet at all

Posted April 08, 2008

BilingualMom

Kevin,

If you're trying to do German non-natively, I would say besides working on your own knowledge (if that is a goal) you should focus on finding high quality input for your kids. This can be German music (we love, love, love music!), or DVDs, and picking specific themes or topics to learn about (learn lots of cooking and eating terms and have German dinner nights). You have probably found you'll retain lots of vocab and phrases from children's books - I have read Bobo Siebenschläfer so many times, that the sentences they use for the zoo and shopping are ready on my tongue :) The Conni books are also good for this - everyday experiences.

Another possibility is to find other German speakers in your area. German Saturday schools all around the country are a wonderful resource - instant German community for you. This is getting long - I'll put together a blog post since this comment is getting too long.

Beste Grüße,
Sarah

Posted April 07, 2008
 
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Related topics: Speaking a second language with your kids,  bilingual,  code-switching,  Parenting & Kids,  more

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BilingualMom

About BilingualMom

I am a homeschooling, German-speaking, bilingual-parenting, business-running mom. Sleep? Ha! I wish :) It's all about the caffeine, baby.

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