Like many parents, I have jumped on what one recent article termed the "bilingual bandwagon" in order to teach my children Spanish. While Mandarin Chinese is another popular choice given the growing economy of China, I chose Spanish because it is the second most common language in the U.S. (and in our home state of Florida). It is a beautiful language, and among the easier ones for English-speakers to learn. I believe that teaching, or at least introducing, a second language to your children at a young age is a tremendous gift. The earlier the exposure, the more likely they are able to learn this second language by natural acquisition (as opposed to memorization), just as they learned their first language. Even if they do not become fluent at the second language in childhood, the earlier exposure will make it easier to learn the language as adolescents.
In our home, I try to make the learning experience as natural and organic as possible. Our nanny is from Ecuador, and though she speaks perfect English, I ask her to communicate with the kids exclusively in Spanish. Instead of the language being taught with a textbook, it's being learned by exposure and assimilation - and it's fun for them. To reinforce it all, we read bilingual versions of their favorite books like "Jorge Curioso," and sing songs in Spanish like "Los Pollitos," which has a lot of useful vocabulary. If you (or a family member or childcare provider) do not speak the language you are teaching, you may consider buying books, CDs, or DVDs in Spanish. While it makes things easier, fluency is not necessary to teach a language.
I have some friends who are concerned that the introduction of a second language will delay or interfere with learning English. After all, we're all trying to teach our kids not to say they "winned the game" or "swimmed in the pool." But, I have not read anything to suggest this is the case. On the contrary, learning a second language may give them what one expert called a "cognitive edge" - and may even help them perform better on standardized tests. But all of that practical stuff aside, being able to speak a second (or third) language, to communicate with more of the world, is just special. It's exciting. It's liberating. And like so many things, it's much easier when you're young.
When I was a child we lived with relatives who spoke Hungarian, Russian, and German. Even though my father was a polyglot, I was NOT ALLOWED to say anything in any of those languages because it would RUIN my English speaking ability. I was also converted to right handed from left. I was parented by the "Break the Wild Horse" method. Then the world discovered Dr. Spock and nobody told their children NO for about a generation out of fear of destroying their little egos. Then we had the 60s. One of these days we are going to figure out that life does not need to be figured out, and there is no RIGHT way to do one damn thing. So there.
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