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Is learning 3 languages all at the same time too much for my 3 year old?
Thread poster: nicholalane1
Nov 7, 2010

I live in france with my husband. We are both english and speak english to our children who are 2 and 3 years old. The 3 year old has just started pre school 2hours every morning for 4 days a week. 2 days he is taught in french and the other 2 days in german. We live on the border with the german speaking part of switzerland therefore we were given a choice to enroll our son in just the french language or both german and french. I am wondering if this is too much for my son as although can under... See more
I live in france with my husband. We are both english and speak english to our children who are 2 and 3 years old. The 3 year old has just started pre school 2hours every morning for 4 days a week. 2 days he is taught in french and the other 2 days in german. We live on the border with the german speaking part of switzerland therefore we were given a choice to enroll our son in just the french language or both german and french. I am wondering if this is too much for my son as although can understand a some french when spoken by a native speaker ( he attended creche for a few hours a week for a year before pre school) he does not yet speak french. He is a very boisterous inquisitive child and i'm wondering if being schooled in 2 languages when none are his home language will be detrimental to being on par with his school mates. I don't want him to be behind at school and have difficulties. It will soon be time for me to decide if i enroll my second son in the billingual system at his school or just stick to the 1 language... french.
Any thoughts on the matter much appreciated.
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Trinh Do
Trinh Do  Identity Verified
Australia
Member (2007)
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
Trilingue ou bilingue Nov 7, 2010

Bonjour Nicholalane,

The age of 3 is the prime/best age to learn a second language. As you are English, this is an advantage for your son. This is my personal experience myself, although I was at a later age. Being boisterous and inquisitive shows he's a good candidate for bilingualism himself. As for the 3rd language, maybe it's a bit too much - after all, you don't want to 'cram' him with too many! However, to test it out, leave some French/German books hanging around carelessly i
... See more
Bonjour Nicholalane,

The age of 3 is the prime/best age to learn a second language. As you are English, this is an advantage for your son. This is my personal experience myself, although I was at a later age. Being boisterous and inquisitive shows he's a good candidate for bilingualism himself. As for the 3rd language, maybe it's a bit too much - after all, you don't want to 'cram' him with too many! However, to test it out, leave some French/German books hanging around carelessly in the house (as if you forgot them there) and observe his reactions. If he shows a great deal of enthusiasm and demands to be taught in both, let him have a go! German is a harder language for most people. But start with the language he's more comfortable with.

Bonne chance and I hope your son will be trilingual very soon. It's no big deal and I wish I had the chance.

Best regards / Bien cordialement / Mit herzlichen Gruessen,

Trinh Do.
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Romeo Mlinar
Romeo Mlinar
Portugal
Local time: 14:58
English to Serbian
+ ...
Just some keywords Nov 7, 2010

Hi Nicholalane,

It's important that bilingualism (multilingualism) is the additive one. You might try googling for "additive bilingualism".

The field that explores what you're interested in is "psychology of multilingualism".

I hope this helps.


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:58
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Is your child a happy person? Nov 7, 2010

That is what you should worry about at that age. There is plenty of time for all the rest. Let's not get obsessed by the supposed "prosperity powers" of multilinguism at such an early age.

A happy child will be a far more intelligent person in the future, and a person well able of learning as many languages as he desires. If I were you, I would not force things too much. French (the language of the country of residence) and English (the child's mother tongue) is more than enough in
... See more
That is what you should worry about at that age. There is plenty of time for all the rest. Let's not get obsessed by the supposed "prosperity powers" of multilinguism at such an early age.

A happy child will be a far more intelligent person in the future, and a person well able of learning as many languages as he desires. If I were you, I would not force things too much. French (the language of the country of residence) and English (the child's mother tongue) is more than enough in my opinion.
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Anna Grynfeld Smith
Anna Grynfeld Smith
Switzerland
Local time: 15:58
Member
English to Swedish
No, Nov 7, 2010

My personal experience is that no, it is not a problem.

I am Swedish and my husband is English. Our children (born in Sweden, 5 and 7 years old) were bilingual to start off with, but now that we have lived in Switzerland for over a year, they are picking up German really well. They are also starting to be aware of the differences between High German and Swiss German. Of course they sometimes mix the languages and their grammar is not as good as it would be if they were monolingual.
... See more
My personal experience is that no, it is not a problem.

I am Swedish and my husband is English. Our children (born in Sweden, 5 and 7 years old) were bilingual to start off with, but now that we have lived in Switzerland for over a year, they are picking up German really well. They are also starting to be aware of the differences between High German and Swiss German. Of course they sometimes mix the languages and their grammar is not as good as it would be if they were monolingual. However, I think that in the long run, they will catch up and even be at least as good at each individual language compared to monolingual children.

It is important to only speak your native language with your children. It also helps reading stories and playing word games, so that your children develop a good vocabulary in English. A child that has a good vocabulary in their native language A) is less prone to mix languages B) learns foreign languages quicker because they have the corresponding word in their native language as a reference.
(This is what I´ve read on the topic and conclusions from my own observations)

In the future, your child might start to speak French/German to you. Don´t give up; insist on speaking English. Encourage your child to speak English at home as well. I grew up in Sweden with parents speaking Polish. Unfortunately, I started responding in Swedish when I was about 7, and I now have a very restricted active Polish vocabulary. My passive vocabulary is quite good though, so I understand a lot. (My parents switched to Swedish, because they wanted to improve their Swedish).

I have noticed that my childrens´language skills develop in leaps, and one language pulls the other language along. For example, when we go to England to visit family there, they not only improve their English, but somehow their Swedish improves as well! I´ve noticed this several times. Very interesting I think

It is a bit more complicated in your situation, with your kids learning two new languages at the same time. However, kids are amazing at absorbing new languages and I really don´t think there is anything to worry about.

Good luck,
I´m sure your children will do very well!
Anna
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Romeo Mlinar
Romeo Mlinar
Portugal
Local time: 14:58
English to Serbian
+ ...
Careful Nov 7, 2010

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

That is what you should worry about at that age.


Nicholalane asked a very important question. Poor decisions in multilingual education/environment can really, really, affect children, eventually making them happy or frustrated.

So, no need for such blatant insinuations.


 
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:58
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Every child and situation is different Nov 7, 2010

I don't know much about your child and your family, but from what you wrote about your son, I don't think 3 languages would be "too much". At this age, kids are like sponges, they absorb much more than we usually think they can.
The key is to have a clear distinction that ties each language to a specific person, place or time, as it helps avoiding mix-ups.

There is another thread about trilingual environments, you may want to r
... See more
I don't know much about your child and your family, but from what you wrote about your son, I don't think 3 languages would be "too much". At this age, kids are like sponges, they absorb much more than we usually think they can.
The key is to have a clear distinction that ties each language to a specific person, place or time, as it helps avoiding mix-ups.

There is another thread about trilingual environments, you may want to read it.

http://www.proz.com/forum/multilingual_families/34421-rules_of_trying_to_raise_a_child_trilingual.html

The strategies that are usually successful with raising bilingual kids can be used for trilingual situations as well, so you may find reading past threads in this forum helpful.

Katalin
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Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:58
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Please explain Nov 7, 2010

Mlinar wrote:
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
Is your child a happy person?
That is what you should worry about at that age.

Careful
Nicholalane asked a very important question. Poor decisions in multilingual education/environment can really, really, affect children, eventually making them happy or frustrated.
So, no need for such blatant insinuations.

I entirely agree that these decisions are very important indeed and can make them happy or frustrated. And that is exactly why I suggest that more attention is paid to the child's happiness at that early age, instead of worrying so much and let them see us worried about their lack of progress. My comment makes total sense in my opinion, and I find your comment a bit out of tone, to be honest.

You might have your reasons to think that my opinion is not as respectable as yours. Can you please explain why?


 
Erik Freitag
Erik Freitag  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 15:58
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Agree! Nov 7, 2010

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

Mlinar wrote:
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
Is your child a happy person?
That is what you should worry about at that age.

Careful
Nicholalane asked a very important question. Poor decisions in multilingual education/environment can really, really, affect children, eventually making them happy or frustrated.
So, no need for such blatant insinuations.

I entirely agree that these decisions are very important indeed and can make them happy or frustrated. And that is exactly why I suggest that more attention is paid to the child's happiness at that early age, instead of worrying so much and let them see us worried about their lack of progress. My comment makes total sense in my opinion, and I find your comment a bit out of tone, to be honest.


I fully agree with you, Tomás!


 
Rekha Narula
Rekha Narula  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:58
English to French
+ ...
3 languages is enriching, whatever your age Nov 7, 2010

Hello,

Growing up in a multi-lingual family (parents speaking at least 3-4 languages) and in a multi-lingual country, I did not even think about whether it would be too much for me at that age.

As some have already said, a child's mind is like a sponge and especially at that age. I think if one dwells too much of the impact on the child, that might be transmitted to him/her and consequently it would be "too much" for them.

I think a natural approach to lang
... See more
Hello,

Growing up in a multi-lingual family (parents speaking at least 3-4 languages) and in a multi-lingual country, I did not even think about whether it would be too much for me at that age.

As some have already said, a child's mind is like a sponge and especially at that age. I think if one dwells too much of the impact on the child, that might be transmitted to him/her and consequently it would be "too much" for them.

I think a natural approach to language learning might be best. Just "go with the flow", whether at home or at school. You will find that your child will revert to each situation using the appropriate language. For example, because we heard mainly English at home, that's what we used in that situation. In school, outside the house and with our friends, it was French and Creole.

Also, because our parents chose NOT to speak to us in one of the other languages they spoke (Burmese) we never learnt to speak it, simply to understand a few key words over the years. So, you see, it is the parents' and other adults' influence on the children which has an impact.

I hope this has given you some food for thought. It's my long-winded way of saying "No, it's not going to be too much"

Regards,

Rekha
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Romeo Mlinar
Romeo Mlinar
Portugal
Local time: 14:58
English to Serbian
+ ...
Maybe I missed the point Nov 8, 2010

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
Can you please explain why?


To me it seemed that you oversimplified the matter. Sorry if that is not the case.


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:58
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Keeping it simple is not oversimplifying Nov 8, 2010

Mlinar wrote:
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
Can you please explain why?

To me it seemed that you oversimplified the matter. Sorry if that is not the case.

Of course I did not oversimplify the matter. Like every parent, I give these things a lot of thought every single day.

What I wanted to say is that with children (I have two, aged 7 and 5 right now), keeping it simple is the best solution after you have tried many different complex approaches. We parents are desperate to ensure that they will have a bright future, and often forget the fact that children are children, and need positive reinforcement, simple rules, a sense of achievement, time to just hang around and play, and lots of hugs, kisses and reassurance that they (our children) are the most beautiful creatures ever created by God.

It is very easy to forget the very basics in our very competitive world, but a time comes when we have the responsibility to make an effort to swim over our momentary frustration and see the big picture.


 
Marijke Singer
Marijke Singer  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:58
Member
Dutch to English
+ ...
Multilingual children Nov 8, 2010

I am trilingual myself and when we lived in the Netherlands, I only spoke English to my children and when we lived in the UK, I only spoke Dutch to them. My husband is British and he always spoke Enlgish with them. He did learn Dutch however. My son is trilingual in Dutch, English and German (German learned at school since my third language is Spanish). My daughter is bilingual in Dutch and English. She also understands German and French. She is currently learning Spanish at school and is pickin... See more
I am trilingual myself and when we lived in the Netherlands, I only spoke English to my children and when we lived in the UK, I only spoke Dutch to them. My husband is British and he always spoke Enlgish with them. He did learn Dutch however. My son is trilingual in Dutch, English and German (German learned at school since my third language is Spanish). My daughter is bilingual in Dutch and English. She also understands German and French. She is currently learning Spanish at school and is picking it up really fast.

They have no accent and pick up languages really easily. They are now 20 and 17. It worked for them and they are completely different in temperament but also in academic ability. So, I would say go for it and eventually they will sort it out for themselves. It took longer for them to speak in sentences but not that long... It also makes them very happy to be able to speak several languages especially when we are on holiday and when reading poetry. My son likes reading German books.
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Berni Armstrong
Berni Armstrong  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:58
Member
English
+ ...
It's not learning, it's absorbing at that age. Nov 8, 2010

I was once very active on the bilingual families mailing list. There, trilingual and cuadrilingual kids were common. Very few families ever reported problems (and those that did found the problems were hearing, rather than linguistic problems). I know my trilingual 12 year old daughter is probably glad we never thought it all might be too much for her! Which of the three worlds she moves in so effortlessly would we have had to deny her?

When we think it might be too much for a child
... See more
I was once very active on the bilingual families mailing list. There, trilingual and cuadrilingual kids were common. Very few families ever reported problems (and those that did found the problems were hearing, rather than linguistic problems). I know my trilingual 12 year old daughter is probably glad we never thought it all might be too much for her! Which of the three worlds she moves in so effortlessly would we have had to deny her?

When we think it might be too much for a child we are thinking like adults, remembering how difficult it was and what a slow uphill struggle it was to learn a language post-childhood. At the age of your child there is no "learning" involved (in the sense of memorising, figuring out grammar, etc) it is all pre-programmed. So don't worry about it!

If it is a gift of love, it'll be alright anyway!

[Edited at 2010-11-08 10:18 GMT]
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Ioanna Orfanoudaki
Ioanna Orfanoudaki  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 15:58
French to Greek
+ ...
Exactly! Nov 8, 2010

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

positive reinforcement, simple rules, a sense of achievement, time to just hang around and play, and lots of hugs, kisses and reassurance that they (our children) are the most beautiful creatures ever created by God.


Totally agree with this statement, one has to remember that kids notice it when parents are not quite sure how to deal with a situation and a nervous parent may make a child nervous in its approach too.

Positive reinforcement is definitely the way to go. As others have mentioned in this thread and elsewhere, kids are smart enough to adapt to situations and always fall on their feet. Our situation is slightly different to yours, in the sense that our kids (3 years and 11 months) are raised bilingually at home (on the basis of OPOL) and with French in school, but you may find the following observations interesting: our 3-year-old is perfectly fluent in English and Greek at home and switches very easily from one to the other. We thought he was coping quite well in French, which is by far his weakest of 3 languages (**for the moment**), as we could hear him trying to express himself with enthusiasm when we met up french-speaking friends. We were therefore quite surprised to hear by his teacher that he didn't speak much in his class, until we realised that he seemed more at ease with face-to-face situations among friends at home, while in his classroom, he probably just makes the most of the listening experience to RECORD before diving in...
The bottom line is that we are not concerned about it, we just keep encouraging him and go with the flow. We know that, to learn a language (and that goes for both adults and children), one first needs to listen and digest what one has heard before (re)producing the same sounds/words... So by just exposing a child to several hours of French/German/anything else, the child will sooner or later show you you were right in trusting his multitasking capabilities!
in order to increase your child's exposure to French/German, perhaps you could find some playgroups/activities in either language? Or invite german-speaking or french-speaking classmates over to your house for an english language immersion sleepover and then send your child to a german-speaking or french-speaking friend's house for a sleepover? Just my tuppence...

Good luck
Ioanna


 
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Is learning 3 languages all at the same time too much for my 3 year old?






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