| Raising Children with More than One Language - A Workshop on Bi-lingualism |
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Bringing children up with more than one language is exciting and gives them an advantage for life. However, without the knowledge and confidence on how to do it, many parents struggle and often get it wrong. And what’s worse, they don’t even notice it until their child is much older, when it is much harder to correct the earlier mistakes.
It is not rocket science to successfully bring up children bi-lingually; it requires discipline, the knowledge of a few key facts and active planning.
Silke Rehman, workshop leader :
We left Switzerland for English-speaking countries when she was 2 years-old. My daughter has just turned 6 years-old now and is completely fluent in both German and English and continues to speak some basic French. She is now learning Arabic at school.
In Switzerland, England and Dubai, I have met many couples who spoke different native languages but did not manage to pass this gift on to their children. They felt very sad and frustrated about it. I discovered they all made similar mistakes with the most common ones being the frequent change of languages spoken by parents to the children and inconsistency in speaking the target language.“
Dubai provides fantastic opportunities to start your children’s multi-language journey. Now there is also a workshop in Dubai which will help you get it right – whether your child is unborn, a baby, toddler or already in school.
This workshop is called “Raising Bi-lingual Children” and is about how your children become fluent in a second language, when to start, what to do and how to do it best. Participants will leave the workshop with a specific action plan based on their personal family situation. The workshop lasts 3 hours. Check the event calendar for the next workshop dates. Here is a review from one of the participants:
Blooming Bilingual Silke Rehman, workshop leader of Raising Bilingual Children and the driving force behind the Multilingual Support Network, warns against it. “As a rule of thumb - when you look your child in the eye - speak your own language. Don’t mix languages for the sake of being polite.” Silke, 36, is German and married to a British man who is half Scottish and half Pakistani. Together they have a six-year-old daughter who speaks fluent English, German and some French. “This did not just happen overnight,” Silke says. “It’s been the product of making language decisions, setting objectives, developing a strategy and most importantly acting on it. Each family situation is unique. Yet, what is universal is the need for commitment; the willingness to make the additional effort and to persevere if need be. In the end, however, the benefits are worth the effort.” (M/F) When Silke came to live in Together with a dozen of other parents of different (mixed) nationalities, I attend Silke’s workshop in Jumeira 1. Most of us have a monolingual background. In the introduction round we briefly tell about our own situation. Some have reached the stage where their child is refusing to speak its mother tongue, whereas others are still expecting. What we all have in common, however, is our wish to successfully turn our children into bilinguals. And that is what this workshop is all about: to help us create a clear action plan and to build a support network. The three-hour-long session starts off with creating an understanding of bilingualism and its advantages. “Being raised with one or more languages is a gift for life. It means access to another culture, heightened self-esteem, increased career options and more flexible and divergent thinking.” In addition, the course discusses the do’s and don’ts and it specifically pays attention to “my child is older – have I missed the boat?” It is hopeful to know that it never is too late, although – as always – “the earlier, the better.” The workshop is of a highly practical nature. I leave the course feeling better equipped to guide my children successfully on their language journey. The few beginner’s mistakes I have made, I now know how to mend. And with the second child, I can start from scratch. More generally, I feel |
“When I had my daughter in French-speaking Switzerland, I was overwhelmed with the task ahead of me. I am a native German speaker myself and have a bi-lingual English/Urdu speaking husband. I had no idea how I was going to handle 3-4 languages (German, English, Urdu, French) in the life of my new baby girl. My rescue was a workshop on multilingualism that taught me all the essentials in 2.5 hours and exposed me to other parents with similar issues. I made my language choices, set my objectives, developed a strategy and acted on it to my best abilities. I am very grateful for having had the opportunity to attend this workshop. 
