Teaching a Second Language in Your Homeschool When You Don’t Know It Yourself
Yes, you can teach your children a second language that you don’t know yourself! Or, I should say, you can facilitate their learning of a second language. With the help of tutors, curricula, and online resources, your kids can have the gift of another language even if your own knowledge is limited in this area. When writing this, I am assuming that you would like your child to eventually gain fluency in the language. If you just want your child to be familiar with another language, not all of this is necessary.
So, assuming you want your child to be able to speak, read, and write in another language - here are some ideas:
Second Language Tutor
This is really not optional, I’m afraid, if you are serious about your child learning a second language. A foreign language is not something you can learn from books or online games. Unless you find a local class, your child will need a real life person who speaks that language to help! That doesn’t mean that you should ONLY rely on a tutor, but it is necessary to work with a tutor (preferably a native speaker) at least once per week. It is very effective for this tutor to only speak the target language and use body language and gestures to help communicate what they are saying along with spoken language.
Audio and Video Input
Something that will help your child learn a new language is hearing that language. If you can’t provide that yourself, there are many ways to include audio resources into your day. Here are a few ways:
Cartoons in the target language
Movies and shows for kids
Music (children’s and folk music are both great)
Audiobooks - check your library
Videos - DVDs, streaming, video sharing platforms
Note: You can often change the audio selection in streaming services to a second language! This is a great way to access audio of the target language for your child.
Online Apps and Games
Don’t rely solely on this type of resource, but online games and apps are a fun way for kids to be exposed to a second language and practice vocabulary skills. You may have heard of Duolingo, which a lot of people really love. You may also find language-specific games or apps depending on what your child is learning.
Online Classes
These could be synchronous (with a live teacher) or asynchronous (pre-recorded). Working with a live teacher is preferable, due to the immediate feedback and help. However, there are also some asynchronous courses that can be valuable as well.
Familiar Books
Does your child have a favorite picture book that she has heard a thousand times? Look for a version in the second language they are learning. There are also many bilingual books available with more than one language written on each page. Check your local library first. You can also find books online.
Early Readers
Look for leveled readers in the second language to help your child gradually gain reading skills. If the target language is phonetic, you can help your child sound out simple words and start to recognize common sight words. If the target language is logographic (uses characters), your child will start to recognize the most common characters that appear in early readers. In this case, your child’s tutor plays a key role to help your child make the connection between the characters and the words.
Flashcards and Related Games
Learning a new language does involve some memorization - especially if the language has characters. A quick review of flashcards each day will add up to a big memory gain over time. You can also play games with flashcards like matching. It can be fun to make cards for things around the house and stick the cards on the actual objects such as furniture. Keep it brief and fun! My kids liked to keep a collection of words that they learned. You will be amazed how quickly the number of words they know will build!
Keep it Fun!
We want to keep the long game in mind here. If your child finds learning a language fun, they will be motivated to continue and confident to try it out with real people in their community. If they think learning a language is hard and stressful, they will want to quit. So, keep it fun and low-pressure for now, while adding in as much exposure as you can. Giving your child the gift of a second language is an amazing thing!