spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I'm a spanish teacher but not a native speaker and neither is DH. I would love to teach DD some spanish when she is young, but we don't use it at home. I sometimes speak to her in spanish, but she's only 6 months so i dont know if the little bit i sometimes say will make a difference but i hope so!

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I can barely speak english correctly .. but my mil knows arabic.. so she may teach my dd some words. Dh only knows the dirty words. .. In school I know they start to learn pretty early now, so if anything hoping shell learn then.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

my grandmother and DH's grandmother both speak to DS in italian. My inlaws speak to him in some Italian, some English. We hope to teach our kids enough Italian for them to be able to speak it outside the home.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I am fluent in French and speak French to DS on and off. French is not spoken in our house.

BUT I am making sure DS has the opportunity to learn it.

It's a gift to be truly bilangual.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I dont have kids yet but we already decide that from the begining I am going to talk to our DC in spanish and him FH in english.. we are both bilingual..
I remember a teacher I had in school that her kid was trilingual by the time he was 7 (the mom spoke to him arabic, the dad in spanish and english and he went preschool that was bilingual (span/eng))

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I have done a little to teach DS French. They can learn so much at such a young age!

I'm enjoying relearning it as we go along.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I am hoping to teach my DS his prayers in Italian. My great-grandmother taught me my prayers in Italian and I always had such a job saying them with her.
My DH speaks spanish and he's going to teach DS some basic words in spanish.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

DH speaks spanish - not very well though. I understand it from 6 years in school but can't speak it. MIL speaks it fluently. I would love for DS to learn it. DH and I want to do rosetta stone!

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I don't "speak" Spanish, but I do know enough to use it a bit. DS has been learning Spanish in pre-K, and now Kindergarten. He also learns it from Dora and Diego. I'm going to continue encouraging him to learn Spanish as much as possible. (and DD too very soon)

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

My cousin is a spanish teacher and has spoken spanish to her son since the day he was born. He also had a spanish speaking nanny. He's now 2 and a half and speaks spanish and english beautifully. It's really amazing to see how quickly they pick it up.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

The process has already begun in our house. Mom's side talks to her in Spanish, Dad speaks to her in Greek, I speak to her in English, Spanish and Greek.... The same as was done for me.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

If I knew another language well enough, I'd be all for teaching DD early.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

Yes. DH is Israeli but he never speaks hebrew to her, but we enrolled her in hebrew immersion at her school. She started at 3, and they speak nothing but hebrew to her for 4 hours a day.

I'm taking hebrew classes too, so I can learn with her.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

Absolutely. Athan already understands Greek. I am first generation Greek American so I speak and sing to him in Greek and my mom watches him all day for us so that's basically all she speaks to him. I am so thankful that he will be bilingual.

Message edited 11/3/2008 11:35:28 AM.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

I would like Abby to know a second language. My guess is that Spanish would be it. Though to be honest Chinese would give her quite an edge in the business world. I couldn't help her with her homework though.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

DS has learned a few words in sign language. I will not teach him the full language this young, but it is used regularly back in my hometown. I know MIL has begun using some Spanish words with him as she is a Spanish teacher.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

My husband speaks Cantonese and he will be teaching our son to speak as well. We want our son to have the ability to speak to his family members that aren't fluent in English.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

IMO second languages should be touched upon in elementary school...the earlier the better, especially when it can only help them in the future.

ETA: If I found out they were offering language classes for toddlers in my area I would definetely consider enrolling DS.

Message edited 11/3/2008 11:17:29 AM.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

Yes, we are all (re)learning high Italian.


We spoke it in my house when I was very little. We stopped when my Nonna died. I hated that we lost it. So now DS & DH & I are all learning together.

I want to learn French as well, and if I do I will teach DS with me.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

my grandparents talk to Cadi in Spanish and everyone else (including myself talk to her in english) It is the same way it was done for me. I understand spanish but can not speak it.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?

DH is french, and I'm fluent, so we try to speak both languages with DD. There are some words that she only understands in french, and other words only in english. We hope she becomes comfortable in both.

Re: spinoff to music lessons: will you teach a second language?