My son is 16 months old, and his verbal skills are really starting to take off. I've always wanted to learn another language. My grandfather was full-blooded Finnish and I wish he would have taught me Finnish when I was young. If you're a student of the Seven Habits, you know that three person teaching is the best way to learn- someone teaches you (in this case, Rosetta Stone software), you learn the subject, then reinforce it by teaching someone else. I'm thinking of going with Spanish because it's so useful and I know a handful of words and phrases anyway. So what's the best time and way to teach your kids another language? Feedback greatly appreciated.
ASAP. As far as which language, that really depends. If you think he'll stay in Texas (or near the Mexican border), Spanish would be the best bet. I wished I learned Mandarin when I was a kid. When I was a kid I didn't know how to speak english. I watched cartoons all the time and that developed my understanding of the language. I didn't learn how to speak until I was forced to in school. While your kid is still young, you should teach him/her as much as possible. You might not see results immediately, but I'm sure it'll benefit them eventually. I guess the short and skinny is lay a good foundation for them to build on in the future.
My son is 4 months. We have several books we read him that are English/Spanish (Olivia series). That "Handy Manny" show on Disney is pretty good too.
Rosetta Stone is a great software program. I wouldn't limit to teaching a child just one language, as the mind is so malleable at that age. In Western Europe, children regularly learn 4-5 languages.
It's a great idea and a bonus for your child in today's world. My son's school teaches rudimentary Spanish as a second language (by default) as well as American Sign Language. I gave the "OK" sign to my 6 year old (kindergartern) and he said, "That's not "OK" thats "F" It literally blew me away that he knew the ASL alphabet.
I really don't believe a child will learn a second language unless the child is submerged in it. (hell, this might even apply to an adult) There are a bazillion hispanic kids running around fluent in both English and Spanish, but this is because they have family members speaking both languages to them on a daily basis. Our 6-yr-old daughter is in 1st grade and has a Spanish class, but I really don't believe she'll learn the language. She'll understand some parts of it, but that's about it.
start speaking the language you want your kid to learn around the house, and use it to talk to him/her. thats how i learned mandarin and english at the age of like 3 or 4. its effortless to learn languages when your a tiny tot and you dont even know what challenges are.
