Tag Archive: bilingual kids

October 22, 2025

Book review: What we read together bilingually in Polish and English (2025)

We read books in Polish and English and we have several of the same books in both languages, either because of available translations in those languages, or because we really enjoyed those stories. Sometimes it’s good to read the same story bilingually, to hear it in the languages we speak. For example, as an adult I read Harry Potter in three languages: in Polish, English and Czech. Reading the same book in translation gave me some context for another interpretation and the joy to understand it in more language(s).

A.A.Milne Winnie-the-Pooh // A.A. Milne Kubuś Puchatek

(originally published in English)

This is a classic and it was one of the first books we had in two languages. We read it chapter after chapter in Polish and then in English. We later found some audio-recordings which we listened to, as well. The stories are charming, as if we’re allowed to enter a magic world of teddy bears.

Astrid Lindgren The Children of Noisy Village // Astrid Lindgren Dzieci z Bullerbyn

(originally published in Swedish)

I read Astrid as a child and couldn’t wait to read those stories to my children. We love the noisy, courageous and joyful children who live together in a little village of Bullerby in Sweden. They have a simple life which is full of little adventures, childhood play and happiness.

Astrid Lindgren Pipi Longstocking // Astrid Lindgren Pipi Puńczoszanka

(originally published in Swedish)

Pipi is a wonderful character who lives without her parents, with a horse and a monkey. Yes, she leads her life against the agreed way of doing things. Even though Pipi’s life is unusual, it’s also full of her kindness and generosity.

Elsa Beskow The Sun Egg / Elsa Beskow Słoneczne jajo

(originally published in Swedish)

This is one of the first books we read by Elsa Beskow, and we have this publication in Polish and in English. The Sun Egg is our summer read: it’s a short story about an elf who finds a ‘sun’s egg’ and together with forest animals, they try to find out what this round object actually is. Beautifully illustrated.

Clare Compton Harriet and the Cherry Pie // Clare Compton Cukiernia pod Pierożkiem z Wiśniami

(originally published in English)

We first found out about this novel as a Polish translation: we listened to an audiobook and then we read a book too. I then started searching for information about the author who actually turned out to be British–Clare’s real name was Hilda Hewett! Harriet and the Cherry Pie is a heart-warming story about an 11-year-old, Harriet, and her 6-year-old sister, Kitten. It’s a beautiful read, with some delicious recipes, like peppermint creams and chocolate crispies. It’s a shame that the book hasn’t been re-printed in English since 1968, and it’s only available second-hand.

Just to add that the Polish translation is absolutely scrumptious, as is the audio-recoding of the book.

Aleksandra & Daniel Mizielińscy Maps // Aleksandra & Daniel Mizielińscy Mapy

(originally published in Polish)

This is a treat for children and adults. It’s beautifully illustrated and contains many useful and interesting facts about each country. You can go from country to country and your interest only grows, as you learn more about different countries, their food, nature, literature, sports, customs etc. Maps is a simple idea, but it is so cleverly executed!

I hope you’ll find some inspiration in the above reading list. Please comment below if you have read any of the above with your children and let me know about you or your children’s favourite bilingual books.

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog, Books

March 22, 2023

Bilingualism: the sensitive part of it

You know I’m a huge enthusiast of bilingualism. All three of my children are raised bilingually (Polish and English). I read many books and publications on bilingualism and I feel I am a confident advocate for this phenomenon. However, what struck my attention recently were two stories where bilingualism became a struggle and I wanted to look at those examples to see first, if we can understand bilingualism better, and second, how we can implement bilingualism without sacrificing a child’s overall wellbeing.

Stories

Both stories had the same effect: the introduction of the second language affected the child’s speech. In one case, the child stopped speaking all together (in any language) and in the other example, the child started stuttering (mostly in the second language). They both were raised mostly monolingually, started nursery (second example) and then went to school in England (both examples). They were both sensitive children.

Observation

So now I’d like to analyse a few points here. The first one is an observation. When we want to raise our child bilingually, we need to be sensitive to their language development in two languages. If there are any amber / red lights flashing that something is not right, we need to analyse this deeper. If needed, we need to first speak with close family about it, then the nursery’s or school’s professionals or seek professional help. This is important to act upon any abnormalities as promptly as possible to avoid more stress for the child and also a worsening of the circumstances.

Child’s personality

Every child is different. For some children, starting school with no language skills in the second language is absolutely not a problem, and after a few months, they’re nearly fluent, with many friends. However, other children may not react like that. If they’re shy, introverted or perfectionists, they may find it difficult to express themselves in the second language, to make new friends, or speak when knowing they may make mistakes. Also, we know that from around the age of 3-4, children are more prompted to make friends; if they lack language skills, this may impact their social interactions and make them feel worse or lonely.

Flexibility

When I started my bilingual journey, I was certain how I wanted to have it organised. We spoke mostly Polish at home and English was the language of formal education. However, when we started home-schooling two years ago, this whole philosophy was turned upside down, because suddenly, I needed to speak to them both in Polish and English. I did that (although, our bilingual system is still a bit chaotic; I need to rethink it!). I adapted and I’m glad I did that, because I could observe my middle daughter gaining language skills in two languages, and being more and more confident in using both of them. I could see her struggles and victories and I could comfort her or celebrate with her at the time. With a multilingual family, it’s important to remember flexibility when it comes to plans / routines / goals; we’re humans and we need to adapt our visions to the given reality. I’m not speaking here about giving up, but more about finding ways to accommodate new circumstances or adapting our plans to our children’s actual language needs.

How do you find your child’s bilingualism? What’s your language routine (especially if you’re home-schooling)? Please let me know in the comments below.

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog

May 13, 2020

Book review: Maximize your child bilingual ability by Adam Beck

Read, read, read. William Faulkner

An essential guidebook to children’s bilingualism. It’s a practical handbook for parents wishing to get a grasp of bilingual upbringing, it answers many questions and provides a step-by-step guide to having a bilingual family.

Adam Beck, the author of the book is an American living in Japan who is raising two bilingual children. He is also the founder of the blog Bilingual Monkey and the forum The Bilingual Zoo.

I think the main message I will take from this book is: read aloud daily (adapt reading to your child’s age, tell stories using picture books, use walls to display messages to your children), have a minority-language routine (important!), follow your children’s natural passions in the minority language (what do they like doing /talking about?), talk to your children in the minority language as often as possible (story-telling), listen to and sing songs (e.g. when cycling—this is what we often do!), be firm with your schedule, but play it through the activities (have fun!) and bilingualism is a long-term project (be patient and consistent).

I like how the book is organised, that it has short chapters, which makes the reading easy to follow and allows reading in short spans of time (important when having kids). Each chapter starts with a quotation which I found really inspirational.

To sum up, I think I would mostly recommend the publication to families who wish to raise their kids bilingually but don’t know how to start, what resources to use, or what strategies to follow. For existing bilingual families, it’s an interesting read which reminds us of the importance of regular input in the minority language and which gives some inspirational tips on resources, activities and the day-to-day routine of the bilingual family.

What books on bilingualism do you recommend? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog

April 15, 2020

Bilingualism: How can you home-school children bilingually?

The limits of my language are the limits of my world. Ludwig Wittgenstein

Today, I’m bringing up a subject very relevant to our family: bilingual home-schooling. As schools remain closed, we parents need to educate our children, and those bringing their children up bilingually have an even harder task: to prepare content in two or more languages. Below, I’ll share my tips on how to organise bilingual learning for your children and I’ll also share some inspiring blogs which helped me navigate through this unknown territory of bilingual home-education. I have two children: our older daughter is 5 and a half and our younger is 17 months old, so the below mostly refers to our older daughter.

Where to start?

First, I’d start with the aims. What do you want to achieve in your home-schooling? What are your goals? In our case, we primarily speak Polish at home and we knew English would be the minority language and that we’d use it to accomplish some specific tasks / activities rather than to be used for a prolonged period of time. We receive a weekly timetable from our daughter’s school, so we follow the main points of the agenda and also add some extra-curricular activities. I’ll specify our daily routine below.

How to organise daily routine

We start our day with a healthy breakfast J and then we have some quiet time, e.g. quiet reading or playing. Then we listen to some literacy exercises or do some reading in English before switching to Polish and listening to and singing some songs in Polish. After a short break, we have some creative activities; painting, drawing, Lego model building, etc. During this time we can include numeracy / vocabulary in Polish and English. Then we have a healthy lunch J and playtime with some yoga / exercises, going for a walk or staying in the garden and having some fun together. In the late afternoon, we read aloud in English and Polish or look through some big books to learn some interesting facts about geography, nature, animals (we try to focus on different subjects either periodically or daily). In the evening, we try to encourage our daughter to help with dinner where we can ask our daughter to name some vegetables or do some counting in two languages. As you can see, our daily routine is quite simple and not over-scheduled, there is plenty of room to negotiate some elements (e.g. playing in the garden longer if the weather is nice, etc.) and we don’t always stick to it every day, but it’s good to have it in place as a frame.

How to organise resources

I check the school’s website to see the timetable and self-prepare resources and download audio-recordings. In the UK, Audible have made their stories free of charge, and the phonics website is now available to all. As for creative activities, we re-use some paper/plastic boxes, jars, etc. or use colour paper, play-dough, clay, etc. Spring time is also a good time to introduce some gardening (as we try to do, too!). Our daughter is super-excited to see how her little plants / herbs grow.

Where to find inspiration?

Fortunately, there are many blogs with inspiring content!I found it really useful to get familiar with the ten tips on bilingual home-schooling from Catalina. Here, there are many interesting insights on home-schooling from Virginia Some important questions regarding bilingual home-schooling are answered here. You can find a bilingual daily routine with four children & their mum, Michele Cherie, here. I also recommend this blog for some everyday activities that you may want to include in your daily home-schooling routine (not about bilingual schooling, but I found it so relevant!).

Bonus: Don’t forget about your daily rituals, like lighting a candle before meals or playing some tunes on xylophone before reading time. It makes every day a bit more special.

Please do let me know how you organise your daily routine of bilingual home-schooling and what resources you use. Please leave your comments below.

Kinga Macalla

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog

January 9, 2019

Important questions about children’s bilingualism

With globalisation and the ease of travel, more often than ever people find themselves living abroad and living a multilingual and multicultural life. That is why raising my daughter bilingually was more a natural consequence of my life trajectory than a thought-through process. I read some guidebooks on bilingualism to have a general idea on how to organise our bilingual life, but that was it. It was a natural decision which I thought all parents would follow, but since having met some parents who decided not to raise their children bilingually, I started to think about why we might want to raise our children bilingually and why we decide in favour of or against our children’s bilingualism. We as parents are the main people who are responsible for our children’s bilingualism and it is true that it can be overwhelming to learn, implement and follow the principles of bilingual parenting. Moreover, as immigrants we want to fit into society; through speaking two languages we may stand out on the monolingual landscape. At the same time, a bilingual upbringing can generate many advantages for people, economically, socially and culturally. What to choose and why? Parents’ decisions on bilingualism may be based on their personal beliefs, but they might also be influenced by others, for example, medical or educational professionals.

If you’re a bilingual family or planning to become one, you may want to think and form your own definitions/answers to the below questions (I added a short commentary to each question, please treat it as some form of inspiration to your further research and study of bilingualism):

What is bilingualism?

Because of the complexity of the term, you may want to create your own definition of bilingualism. Your understanding of the notion might be influenced by the fact that bilingualism is created and functions in various environments, family settings and countries/regions and may impact individuals with different talents and skills differently.

Is Bristol a good place to raise bilingual children (if you’re from Bristol)?

I think it’s important to have a better understanding of the local perception of bilingualism. If your children go to nursery/school, ask staff members some questions about bilingualism and see their approach to bilingualism. You can also check if there are extra-curricular language or cultural classes organised by the local council, schools or private people.

What influences parents’ decision-making on family bilingualism?

Here, we can think whether society and medical, educational or governmental authorities can influence our decisions on the bilingual upbringing of our children. Parental choice for or against bilingualism will influence a child’s life in many different aspects, e.g. their identity, cultural bonding or linguistic skills, among others. If parents decide not to form a bilingual family, they may make this decision based on the disadvantages linked with bilingualism, e.g. hard work, not being a ‘normal’ family, worries about language development and potential misunderstandings. (see Barron-Hauwaert) Through choosing monolingualism and full linguistic assimilation, immigrant parents can deprive their children of certain experiences, e.g. a bond with their linguistic, family or cultural heritage.

How do stereotypes around multilingualism influence our decisions on bilingualism?

To be honest with you I didn’t know any stereotypes around multilingualism until I started reading more literature on bilingualism. One of the stereotypes around bilingualism is that bilingualism can be linked with underachievement at school (see Marzán), but the most recent research suggests the opposite, that actually bilingualism “is now associated with a mild degree of intellectual superiority.” (Baker 2014: 54)

What are the advantages of bilingualism?

Bilingualism can be associated with many different benefits, in the form of communication (being able to communicate more effectively with others) and practical and social value (facilitating cultural exchanges and promoting multi-cultural understanding). Colin Baker also mentions cognitive advantages (creativity), character advantages (increased self-esteem), curricular advantages (easier to learn a third language) and economic advantages (employment benefits). (see Baker) We can add the following benefits to the list: more freedom to be mobile, an increased tolerance towards other languages and cultures and an understanding of other foreigners’ needs. (see Barron-Hauwaert)

Can you think of any other benefits of bilingual upbringing of your children? Please let me know in the comment below.

References:

Baker, C. 2014. A Parents’ and Teachers’ Guide to Bilingualism. Bristol: Multilingual Matters

Barron-Hauwaert, S. 2014. Language Strategies for Bilingual Families. The One-Parent-One-Language Approach. Bristol: Multilingual Matters

Marzán, J. 2003. Found in Translation. Reflections of a Bilingual American. In: Sommer D. (ed) Bilingual Games. Some Literary Investigations. New York: Palgrave Macmillan

Kinga Macalla

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog

November 7, 2018

What are the main challenges of bilingualism? How can you keep both languages balanced? (5)

Some time ago, we introduced a new series of video interviews and online interviews which are devoted to the subject of bilingualism. We find the topic of bilingualism fascinating and we want to discuss some of the issues and benefits linked with being bilingual, as well as many other bilingualism-related topics. If you have any ideas or questions related to bilingualism, let us know in the comments below.

Today, in our fifth YT video, we attempt to answer the question “What are the main challenges of bilingualism? How can you keep both languages balanced?”. Our special guest is Łucja Miniewska, an expert on bilingualism both academically (she holds an MSc in Bilingualism) and practically (she’s a mum of two bilingual children). Please click the link to watch our YT video.

Kinga Macalla

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog

October 3, 2018

How do you start? What would be your key tips for parents wanting to raise their children bilingually?(4)

Three months ago, we introduced a new series of video interviews and online interviews which are devoted to the subject of bilingualism. We find the topic of bilingualism fascinating and we want to discuss some of the issues and benefits linked with being bilingual, as well as many other bilingualism-related topics. If you have any ideas or questions related to bilingualism, let us know in the comments below.

Today, in our fourth YT video, we attempt to answer the question “How do you start? What would be your key tips for parents wanting to raise their children bilingually?”. Our special guest is Łucja Miniewska, an expert on bilingualism both academically (she holds an MSc in Bilingualism) and practically (she’s a mum of two bilingual children). Please click the link to watch our YT video.

Kinga Macalla

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog

September 5, 2018

What are the main benefits of a bilingual upbringing? (3)

Two months ago, we introduced a new series of video interviews and online interviews which are devoted to the subject of bilingualism. We find the topic of bilingualism fascinating and we want to discuss some of the issues and benefits linked with being bilingual, as well as many other bilingualism-related topics. If you have any ideas or questions related to bilingualism, let us know in the comments below.

Today, in our third YT video, we attempt to answer the question “What are the main benefits of a bilingual upbringing?”. Our special guest is Łucja Miniewska, an expert on bilingualism both academically (she holds an MSc in Bilingualism) and practically (she’s a mum of two bilingual children). Please click the link to watch our YT video.

Kinga Macalla

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog

February 22, 2017

Online Resources on Bilingualism and Multilingualism

Multilingualism is the use of two or more languages, either by an individual or by a community. There are more people who speak more than one language (multilingual speakers) than there are people who only speak one language (monolingual speakers) in the world. More than half of all Europeans speak at least two languages. Speaking two languages is called bilingualism. Globalisation is making multilingualism more important in today’s world. Bilingualism and multilingualism are important topics for research and teaching. Raising bilingual or multilingual children is also an important experience for parents in a bilingual couple. They may need guidance on how best to go about raising bi- or multilingual children.

A lot of information, for researchers, teachers and parents, is available on the internet. This blog post gives a list of websites on bilingualism and multilingualism for parents, teachers and researchers and gives an idea of what can be found on each website. A lot of resources can also be found on the Blogging on Bilingualism website, which has a list of blogs on the topic and summarises and evaluates each one.

Resources for Parents

Multilingual Parenting

Multilingual Parenting has a blog with tips on how to raise bilingual children, such as “12 things parents raising bilingual children need to know”. Here are more blogs on the same.

Bilingual Parenting

Bilingual Parenting is a blog that documents a couple’s progress in raising a bilingual child and includes tips, materials and a bookshop.

Bilingualism Matters

Bilingualism Matters is a Centre at the University of Edinburgh, which studies bilingualism and language learning. Their vision is a society where everyone is aware of and has access to the benefits of multiple languages. The Centre’s website has news, events and a blog. It also has a list of resources for Bilingual Families and FAQs.

The Bilingual Advantage

The Bilingual Advantage is a site run by a bilingual researcher, teacher and parent. It includes resources on bilingualism and blog articles by two bilingual parents. It has a list of Tips for Bilingual Parents. The website is available in English and French.

Words for Life

The Words for Life website, which is designed to support parents to help their children develop their language skills, has a list of frequently asked questions about raising bilingual children.

Omniglot

The online encyclopaedia of writing systems and languages, Omniglot, has several pages dedicated to the issue of raising bilingual children: “Raising Bilingual Children: The First Five Steps to Success”; “Raising Bilingual Children: Fact or Fiction?”; “Raising Bilingual Children: The Snags”; “Raising Bilingual Children: The Different Methods to Success”. They are written by the founder of the Multilingual Children’s Association.

Multilingual Children’s Association

The Multilingual Children’s Association (USA) has a web guide to raising multilingual children. The site is dedicated to kids growing up with multiple languages. It features expert advice and real world wisdom, parent discussions, tips, resource directory, articles and more. It hosts a community where parents can ask questions and share thoughts, tips and support.

Bilingual Monkeys

Bilingual Monkeys is a site dedicated to giving ideas and inspiration for raising bilingual kids (without going bananas!). Its creator has written several books on the subject. The site includes a list of tips for raising bilingual children.

InCulture Parent

InCulture Parent is a collection of personal experience blogs by parents who are committed to ‘raising global citizens’. The site includes tips on bilingual parenting.

Bilingual Potential

Bilingual Potential is a consultancy that offers advice to parents on raising bilingual children.

Bilingual Kids Rock

Bilingual Kids Rock celebrates raising bilingual children and includes advice and tips.

General Advice

There is also a lot of general advice out there, such as this article on Quartz, this from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, this from the Linguistic Society of America, this from Parenting.com and this in the Huffington Post.

Resources for Teachers

Bilingualism Matters

Bilingualism Matters has a list of resources on English as an Additional Language and ESOL, Modern language teaching: resources and policy and Minority and regional languages in Europe.

Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute

The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute of Canada strengthens and promotes education and research in the fields of teaching, evaluation and language policy design. It also brings together the University of Ottawa’s experts in official languages and bilingualism in four areas: teaching; research; testing and evaluation and development and promotion. Its website has a host of resources and information on assessment and development in language learning.

Resources for Researchers

Multilingual Matters

Multilingual Matters is an international, independent publishing house based in Bristol. It produces publications on bilingualism, second/foreign language learning and sociolinguistics. BLS previously interviewed Multilingual Matters on our blog. Read the interview here.

Creative Multilingualism

Creative Multilingualism is a research programme investigating the connection between linguistic diversity and creativity. It stems from the idea that there is more to languages than the practical. They are also our key medium for self-expression and are at the heart of our identities. Its website includes resources and events.

Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism (CeLM)

The CeLM aims to generate new insights into the working of the multilingual mind as well as new perspectives on how literacy skills work in monolinguals, bilinguals and multilinguals. It carries out state-of-the-art empirical research in Education, Linguistics, Modern Languages, Neuroscience and Psychology. Its website has resources such as Literacy in Monolingual families and Learning modern foreign languages in the UK. There is also a list of conferences and events. CeLM @ University of Reading is the host of a new branch of Bilingualism Matters. Bilingualism Matters provides advice and information on child bilingualism to anyone interested or involved with raising, educating and caring for bilingual and multilingual children. It also bridges the gap between researchers and society by presenting recent findings on the advantages of bilingualism on the cognitive and social abilities of the child.

Centre for Research on Bilingualism

Bilingualism and second language acquisition is one of the leading research areas at Stockholm University. Research at the Centre for Research on Bilingualism covers a number offers a wide variety of introductory and advanced courses as well as a full PhD program.

Bilingualism Centre

Located in the bilingual area of North Wales, the Bilingualism Centre at Bangor University focuses on Welsh-English bilinguals as well as offering a springboard into other bilingual communities. The website has information on events, postgraduate study programmes, collaboration opportunities and resources.

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition is an international peer-reviewed journal focusing on bilingualism from a linguistic, psycholinguistic, and neuroscientific perspective. The aims of the journal are to promote research on the bilingual and multilingual person and to encourage debate in the field.

We hope you find these resources useful, whichever category you use!

Written by Suzannah Young

Comments: 0

CATEGORY:
Blog