How to raise a bilingual child

Here parents can find practical tips on how to foster their child's bilingualism at home. Raising a bilingual child

What if we don't speak German?

A German dual language immersion program is designed to provide non-German speaking children with a high degree of proficiency in the German language. Although such programs welcome students who have exposure to German outside of school, it is not expected that students will have any prior knowledge of German from home. All students are learning to read and write and do math together! The majority of parents with children enrolled are not proficient in German. Therefore communication between the school and home is typically in English, (e.g. newsletters, memos, report cards). Strong first language skills are the foundation for learning a second or third language. So anything you do to strengthen your child’s dominant language will help your child in school. Talk to your child! Having strong oral language skills provides the foundation for your child to develop better literacy skills. Read aloud to your child every day in your home language! Reading strategies transfer from one language to another. Even if children read well on their own, reading books together is a great way to enjoy time together and foster a love of reading. The most important foundation for reading is established before a child goes to school.

Resources for parents
Helping children at home

Now it's your turn!

Whether you already speak German at home or are just starting out, on this page you will find resources to reinforce what your child is learning at school, help your child develop positive attitude towards German language and culture, and encourage your family to simply have fun playing and communicating in multiple languages!

Die Seite mit der Maus

Videos, games, and creative projects for children with their favorite characters from WDR popular kids series "Die Sendung mit der Maus", "Shaun das Schaf", "Käpt'n Blaubär", and "Die Sendung mit dem Elefanten".

SWR Kindernetz

A collection of all SWR radio and TV programs for children: show episodes, video clips, additional information on show's topics, link and much more!

Deutsche Welle

Free online short courses, videos and apps for learners of German at all levels.

Practice German on the go

Free learning apps developed by the Goethe-Institut for iOS and Android; worldwide learning community "Deutsch für Dich".

Bilingual kidspot

Information about bilingual parenting, language resources for kids, advice from experts and multilingual families.

Seitenstark

Supported by the Comissioner of Ministry for Culture and the Media and by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Steinstark is a curated selection of websites for children with multifaceted, challenging and exciting content.

Life as a bilingual

François Grosjean, Emeritus Professor of psycholinguistics at Neuchâtel University, and Aneta Pavlenko, Research Professor at the University of Oslo, write an informative and entertaining blog about bilingualism for the popular magazine "Psychology today".