At this age, communication and language acquisition is a topic we talk about often. Toddler are beginning to develop their language, and they are learning new words each day (or so it seems)! Since they are already learning one language, why not add in a few more? This is the time in their lives when language acquisition comes so easily, so it is also a great time to learn more than one language.
Within our school, we have a large number of Arabic speaking families. Many children come to us understanding more Arabic than English. While Ms. Whittaker and I speak little Arabic, we have been learning new phrases each week. This is one of the perks of having Arabic speaking staff who can teach us and the children as well. While Ms. Whittaker is not fluent in Arabic, she is fluent in French. She has been teaching the children some words and phrases. We also use sign language with our children. It has been interesting to see the children pick up different words in the languages they have been exposed to in the classroom.
We have found the children are very receptive to the different languages. Some of our children who do not speak Arabic have been using Arabic phrases. For example, mai is the word the children and families use for water. Many of our English speaking children have started using mai, as well as water, when requesting their drinks. It is interesting to see them start to pick up these different phrases. For the children who do not yet have words, they will sometimes use sign language. I became interesting in sign language a few years back, when some of children wanted to learn some basic words. Most of my signing knowledge is food related, as toddlers really love food. We use the signs, as well as the English, Arabic, and French words to identify the food we serve at snack.
Not only are children learning a new language, they are also learning about new cultures. Having the knowledge of other languages can help children be more accepting of different cultures. We live in a very culturally diverse area, so it is important to help children learn to be receptive to all types of people. Each culture has many contributions which we still use today, so it is important for children to be understanding and respectful of the different cultures we see. We are helping to support the social emotional development of the children, by helping them show respect for all people in our community. The children appreciate hearing their native language, and show excitement when we use words and phrases they are familiar with. We hope the children will continue to explore the languages as they grow!
