| Many expectant or new parents have the goal of | | | | being one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. |
| raising multilingual children but don't have any idea how | | | | Once a child can make conscious decisions about |
| to do it. There are a few ways, all of which will take | | | | goals such as wanting to learn a language, it's |
| some effort on your part. The easiest way is if you or | | | | unfortunately too late in many cases to do it easily. |
| your spouse speak a second language fluently. Then, | | | | Though of course English fluency will be critical in the |
| simply using that language with your child as they grow | | | | world in the future, knowing more than one language |
| up will result in at least conversational fluency. | | | | will only open up more opportunities. |
| If both of your are monolingual, your task is more | | | | Last, if you choose to have your child start taking |
| difficult. You can hire a nanny or caregiver who can | | | | language classes in high school, this is not bad but you |
| provide immersion in another language. You can send | | | | should have realistic expectations of the results: a very |
| your child to an international language school in your | | | | tiny sliver of people who start to learn a language in |
| area from a young age. You can also live abroad in | | | | high school and beyond reach a fluent level of |
| order to give the true immersion experience to your | | | | communication, and most of these are people who |
| child. | | | | find ways to immerse themselves in the language. |
| All of these things will take effort, but may end up | | | | |