Learning a second language at school can be very difficult for a number of reasons, and generally isn't all that effective at producing a fluent speaker. Many children will progress much more rapidly by being encouraged to mix with other bilingual children, reading a foreign language or watching foreign language TV shows.



Parents can play a huge role in helping their kids to learn a new language, so here are just a few ideas:

1. Emigrate!

2. Watch foreign TV channels and read foreign books or magazines

3. Help them make bilingual friends

4. Show them how it's done

5. Keep it fun and challenging

6. Foreign exchange visits

7. Vacation abroad

8. Get a foreign Au Pair or Nanny

9. Buy CD-ROMs, books, videos, on-line courses, etc

10. Hire a private tutor

Moving to another country

This may be a bit on the excessive side, but if it's always been your dream to live abroad, why not do it and improve your quality of life and your childs language skills at the same time. This is THE most effective way for a child to become truly fluent in a foreign tongue. Although it will be intimidating at first (and that's just for you!) a child will settle in and make friends very quickly and you will be astonished at how quickly the new language is absorbed. You can expect your child to be conversationally fluent within about 3 months.

Read and watch TV

Try picking up foreign language programmes on your TV. A good idea to try and give your kids a gentle prod is to limit their normal TV viewing time to, say, 2 hours a day, but have no limit whatsoever on the foreign speaking channels.

Find a foreign magazine or newspaper that suits your child's tastes (snowboarding, surfing, Italian art, French fashion, Russian chess...) and offer them a year of subscription. Make him want to show it off at school (not very moral, but you want him to be proud of his language learning, don't you?).

Help them make bilingual friends

In a world that is so diverse, unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you may well have neighbours from different countries. Help and encourage your child to make new friends, particularly other kids that speak the target languages that they want to learn.

If you are a religious person, no matter what the denomination, consider going to a foreign speaking religious gathering. Start off with once a month, and then maybe make it more often when you feel more confident. These places usually have community activities that are great ways for you and your children to make new friends.

Do it your way!

Get your child off to a flying start by learning a new language yourself and include your child in your home studies. Let them know that learning other languages is a great gift in life, and give them all the encouragement possible. This will help them much more than just a couple of school lessons a week.

Make it a challenge but have fun too

Buy a cheap clock-radio and get your child to have a wake up call in a foreign language! Don't worry if the early morning banter doesn't accomplish much, but it may help your child to get into the music of a different culture. You'll be surprised at how many new words and phrases can be learned from the music alone.

Try this for an idea...make a deal with your kids; as an incentive to learn and practice, say that you will pay for any foreign books and movies (available in most large towns or cities).

Foreign exchange students

Arrange a year abroad for your child, or a few months in the summer at least. This will only cost you the flight ticket, as another child (let's say, a young Spaniard) will come to your house for the same amount of time. For those who actually did this during their teenage years, this is one of the most meaningful experiences of their youth. And the languages learned early stay forever, and with a much better accent too.

Vacation abroad

Try to spend holidays in countries speaking your target foreign language. If you don't speak it at all and your child does, make him feel important several months before you go away, telling him that he'll be your guide and that the whole family will have to rely on his language skills during the vacations. That should motivate him to learn as much as he can, so that he can be proud to use his new skills in front of the rest of the family.

Hire a foreign Nanny or Au Pair

Hire an Au Pair, Nanny, Housekeeper, etc, that doesn't speak too much English, and encourage her to speak to the children in her own mother tongue. This way, they will learn half the language while playing!

Use videos, books, on-line courses, CD-ROMs, etc.

Keep things interesting by mixing up childrens language courses in books, videos, on-line courses, etc. A new game on CD-ROM but in another language can always get'em going again!

Private lessons

As I have already said, language teaching in schools is mostly insufficient to really learn a language. If you have the necessary funds available, why don't you hire a private teacher who can teach one-to-one for a few hours a week? In many areas this is not too expensive and it's much more efficient than group learning.