Hi,
the tip I have is to try to get your child to visit your home country if possible. And if possible do it at least once or twice a year. Also if you can get Skype and make grandparents to talk to your child in your native language often. After all, this is probably the main reason why you speak to your child in your native language so your parents can also communicate with their grandchild, right? Kids are very smart, they will use it if they see the need for it. I speak Slovak to our two children, my husband speaks English. I noticed a great change in my daughter's Slovak this year. She's almost 4 years old and we went to Slovakia in June, then again in October and my Mom just left, visiting us in November. My Mom can only speak Slovak with my daughter and since none of her Slovak relatives speak any English she suddenly started using Slovak. She does it with me as well although she still has a tendency to use English with me as she knows I understand. My husband and I speak English to each other so frankly, she didn't think she needed to speak Slovak with me at all. I didn't want to enforce it before I was quite happy that she understands Slovak and I didn't really force her to answer back to me in Slovak. But now that she finally started using it, I will be more strict with her and require her to answer in Slovak as well.
So use Skype, visit your home country, play your language DVDs, movies, read books, insist on answering back to you in your language and send them to your home country to spend summer holidays with their grandparents and cousins. |
