Can my child be bilingual?

​Over the last 18 years I have struggled to make sure my children are able to understand and speak Spanish.  I was determined to make this happen and thought it would be easy. However, with my children listening to English at school and all around them most of the day, it has been a bigger challenge than I anticipated. While they can understand most of what I say in Spanish, they respond in English and their pronunciation is not like that of a native speaker. I believe that this is because they learned all the sounds of the vowels in English. 

​As parents we do our best to give our children all the tools they need to succeed in school and more generally in life. Exposing children to a second language early in life is one of those gifts you can give your child before they are old enough to say their first word.

Many studies have found significant benefits in doing just that at an early age. While some families may be better equipped to provide a bilingual environment, such as a household where one or both parents are fluent in more than one language, parents that speak only one language can still expose their children to another language as long as they are willing to make the effort.

This blog will be a way for me to share some of my experiences as well as give parents tools they can use in their journey to expose children to Spanish. I plan to post once per week. Please post any questions or comments you may have. 

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