Creative Ways to Encourage Target Language Use in the Home
Do you struggle to get your children to speak the target language at home? Children will often default to the majority or community language, since it is so much more prominent in their lives. However, here are some creative ways to help improve target language use and help your children be more enthusiastic about it!
Spend Time Using The Target Language With Your Child
One great way to help your children use the target language is by spending time with you in the target language. If you speak the language, make sure you are consistently using it with them. Always speak in the target language and if they respond to you in the majority language, go ahead and translate what they have said into the target language.
Use Bilingual Dictionaries And Flashcards
Improve a child’s use of the target language by finding new words in a dictionary or flashcard! Finding new words that you guys can learn together and use them throughout the week can be extremely effective.
Listen to Audio Language Courses
Increasing language output is achieved when you increase the language input your child has. The more they listen to a target language, the more likely they are to speaj in the target language. Podcasts, audiobooks and audio language courses will help your children learn the language more effectively.
Take Virtual Trips To Your Target Language Countries
Virtual trips to a country where the target language is spoken can be an amazing way to encourage a child’s interest in the language. It will help your children learn more about the culture and what life is like there. You can find videos of the country on YouTube and watch them together. You can also look for books, travel guides and cookbooks from the country. If you’ve ever taken a trip to the country yourself, share photos and stories about your trip. If you have the means, make it a goal to visit the country once your child reaches a specific goal with their target language use!
Learning Tools Like Apps and Websites Can Help With Target Language Use
Apps and language websites are a great tool to have in your target language resource arsenal. Remember, the amount of language input equates with future language output. Having your child practice and learn with a fun app a few hours a week will go a long way with helping them develop their skills and confidence in the target language. This is the reason we created Spanish Safari, a tool to help children 3 to 9 yeas old learn, practice and love Spanish. Check it out below!
Play Games Together
One way to make sure that your children are using the target language at home is to provide opportunities to use it. Playing games with children can be a great way to do so. Games like Hangman, Word Jumble, and Scrabble are perfect for getting kids to use the target language. These games are fun and engage them for a long time, which can help them develop their cognitive skills. If you are looking for fun games to play in Spanish, read our post: 7 Fun Games for Learning Spanish (It comes with freebies!)
Read Books Together
One of the best ways to get kids to improve target language use at home is to read books together. This will help them develop fluency in the language and learn how to communicate with others. It’s also a great way to engage them in a creative environment and make them feel like they’re learning. By reading books together, you’ll create a bond between you and your child that can last long after the book is done.
Make a Reward Chart
Reward charts are awesome positive reinforcement tools. Make or buy a chart and track the times your child uses the language. Depending on where your child is, you can chart time spent in the language, new words used, or times your child initiates a response without prompting. You can use stickers or marks and have children save up for a reward. The reward can be material, but time spent with you doing a fun activity is just as effective!
Do activities That Require Using Target Language
One effective way to get kids to use the target language at home is to have activities that require a target language. For example, you can use a game or toy that requires children to use specific words and phrases to win rewards. This will help children learn the anguage and be more engaged in learning it.
Getting a child to use a target language can be difficult and even frustrating. You may feel like you’re failing in raising a bilingual child. But you’re not! Language learning is a lifetime activity and with consistency, your child will reap the benefits! By using these creative methods, you can encourage your family to use the target language and become comfortable as bilingual children.