Many Cedrus families speak a Ghanaian language at home, English with friends and at school, and are now adding French. Parents sometimes worry that so many languages will confuse a young child. The good news is that children under six are especially good at learning languages, and most cope with two or three without any trouble.
Keep your home language strong
Your home language is your child’s first connection to family, stories and culture. Keep speaking it at home. A strong first language makes it easier, not harder, to learn the next ones.
Give each language its place
Children find it easier when each language has a clear setting: a home language with grandparents, English at school, French with a particular teacher or at certain times of day. Mixing words now and then is normal and usually fades as vocabulary grows.
Make it playful
Songs, rhymes, picture books and simple games are the best way in. A few minutes a day of French songs in the car or a picture book at bedtime does more than a long lesson.
Be patient. Some bilingual children talk a little later or go quiet in a new language for a while before they start speaking it. If you have concerns about your child’s speech, talk to their teacher.
