English Language Learner Home Language Development Slides
Illinois Early Learning has created a bank of slides based on Standards Start at Home: A Guide to Early Learning for Parents/Families. These slides contain simple suggestions for parents of young children. The Standards Start at Home slides are available in PDF format (31MB). Feel free to share the full document.
Tips for Raising Bilingual Children (slide 1)
- Use your home language. Your child can learn your home language and English.
- Share your culture and family practices with your child’s teachers
- Make language learning fun and natural
- Provide many different language experiences in each language, including music, drama, and other activities
Tips for Raising Bilingual Children (slide 2)
- Provide books, DVDs, and games in your home language to promote learning more words
- Engage in conversations with your child about special topics of interest to them
- Be patient if one or both languages develop more slowly than other children who have only one language. This is common, and most children catch up by third grade.
Tips for Raising Bilingual Children (slide 3)
- Make sure your child knows if they are expected to speak a certain language to a certain person, in a certain place, or at certain times
- Find other people who speak your native language, as well as other resources, by using the Internet and/or your public library
