Planning to Raise a Multilingual Child (as a non-native)

[A_BC]

Salam Mom2bee,

I am joining the conversation a bit late, but here is our experience so far:

We are raising our multilingual son using the same languages you are planning to teach.

As you are planning ahead, I am suggesting homeschooling resources that you may use with a 2y+ toddler:

For Arabic, if you/ your husband are fluent speakers, I recommend http://www.noorart.net/idevaff/idevaffiliate.php?id=173, (it's an affiliate link ). It is full of wonderful resources. We are currently using these collections/ curricula:

-Scholastic Arabic Collection: I was crazy enough to buy this: http://www.noorart.com/Scholastic-My-Arabic-Library-Stories-Set-of-208-Books (when it was on sale last December). It covers all the readers, picture books, non-fiction and chapter books for K-6. I LOVE it!

- El Amal Series for the Islamic education: http://www.noorart.com/Al-Amal-Series-Islamic-Education-Set I am planning to introduce this series later on ISA: http://www.noorart.com/school_section/Islamic-Knowledge-Series-

- For the Arabic Language, I think this series is unbeatable:  http://www.noorart.com/school_section/ico_learn_arabic_arabic_curriculum

I have been trying to translate the LR files to Arabic, but found that my son just prefers handwritten index card. We can flash them, play with them a la Montessori, etc.

We also use these flashcards cards recommended by Ayesha Nicole: http://www.learningroots.com/new/index.php/shop/quran-learning?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=42&category_id=15

as well as other products from: http://www.learningroots.com/new/


For Spanish, we used YBCR Spanish with a great success last year and since then, we've been just reading books and watching Speekee, Whistlefritz, Little Pim... There is board book collection recommended by aangeles you may find here: http://www.memima.com/ It covers the basic vocabulary and my son enjoys it a lot. He doesn't speak Spanish fluently  though, as we don't practice it enough, but I think he is reading at a 1st grade level. I've never taught him Spanish phonics explicitly, but they are so easy to figure out!

Concerning LR, my son likes to watch the French and the Chinese lessons. I would love to get him the Spanish curricula hoping he would like it too. I am a LR fan, I it is the ONLY reading program I used during my baby's first year and that's how he learned to read. I would suggest you give a try with your baby, just in case you change your mind

[Arnau i Pau]

Thanks mom2bee for your mail...For the moment I'm going to continue with Little Reader, I think that they can learn a lot with this software...but you are right that the slide's speed is a little slow for them and sometimes they said that it's a little boring...but they continue playing and learning with it.
Also I'll try to know another programmes like you said, I think it's not a problem to use two or three programmes...if they are compatible because the intention is to improve the English level of our kids.

MamaOfwill don't worry...my intention is to continue all the lessons...now they are doing the lesson 6 and maybe I jump or pass more quickly..but they have 260 lessons to learn a lot.
And we say: "Aprender no ocupa lugar". I don't know exactly the translation...but it means that: All you learn it's important because it's in your mind and it don't occupy any place ;-)
I hope you understand the sentence...it's an expression that we use many times...sure you have the same expression in English too.

And for all of you..yes I'm from Catalonia - Spain. I live in Barcelona ;-) Have a nice day!!

[mom2bee]

Thanks mom2bee for your mail...For the moment I'm going to continue with Little Reader, I think that they can learn a lot with this software...but you are right that the slide's speed is a little slow for them and sometimes they said that it's a little boring...but they continue playing and learning with it.
Also I'll try to know another programmes like you said, I think it's not a problem to use two or three programmes...if they are compatible because the intention is to improve the English level of our kids.

Thats great! I didn't realize that you were already using LR, when I suggested ReadingBear, but I'm glad that you are having success with LR for your boys! Learning at every age should be fun and rewarding . Let the BK community know if you'd like any other recommendations for either implementation or programs. There are so many great programs out there and the boards can be very, very helpful!!!

@A_BC, thanks for the recommendations! I recently began looking at NoorArts website and am wonderfully pleased with all the resources that they have . I'm going to keep my on the website for news of Sales and Discounts. I have counted up the numerous programs and materials that they have and I have to say that it will quickly get expensive to obtain all the materials that I have my eye on if I'm not super savvy.

Now that my Classes are over until Fall semester, I'm spending this time vamping up my Spanish abilities. I hope that by this time next year, I can begin studying Arabic in earnest. English my native language, but I have studied Arabic (unsuccessfully as a child off and on) and I have studied Spanish off and on for the last 3 years. I would like to reach an intermediate--advanced level in both Arabic and Spanish.

Its my goal to raise my children in Spanish, even though it isn't my native language and to teach them Arabic from infancy.

[A_BC]

Mom2bee,

Yes, they have all what homeschoolers need and it can be very expensive (taking from experience    ) If you are a non native speaker, I would highly recommend the ICO Islamic curriculum. It is very comprehensive. There are other Arabic curricula with CDs, that can help a lot as well.

[nuria2012]

Good morning mummies and daddies!

Yesterday the postwoman brought me the book that some of you had recommended in the forum: "The bilingual edge".             I have read the first ten pages. I think it is a very good tool in order to reinforce our thought about the relevance of raising a bilingual or multilingual child. It is a good way to help us, non-native parents in our teaching. I didn´t know that there was the possibility to download from internet.    The book has a tiny letter. I like reading before sleeping but I hate tiny letter. If you don´t want to spend a penny, download from the web, with Ayesha link http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061246562. I think that we must have a book that can guide us, and speak about typical doubts as the possibility of a language delay, only a myth,... the mixture of languages, seen as a normal part of the language learning process of bilingual children, and other many topics that you can read in this book.

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