My daughter (15 months) learns Polish, Spanish but not English yet. We live in the USA. Can share experience?

Question

We want her to learn the 3 languages perfectly and know she can, but we haven't started teaching her English yet. My wife speaks Polish, I speak Spanish, and we communicate in English. If you have a similar situation, could you comment on it? I don't care what you think but what you know. I am interested in keeping in touch with whoever would like to share ideas, progress of his or her own child in similar situation, etc.

Answer 1

I am a child of Ukrainian and Bulgarian(I know both the languages,as well as English and Russian and now I learn Spanish) and I think I can give you a good advice.You are doing very well with teaching her two languages and consider the third which she will use with her schoolmates one day.It's very beneficial to know many languages.
You keep talking to her in Spanish and talk to her often and use different words(not only "Do you want milk?" or something like that every day).Talk to her about your country - even if she doesn't understand,she will get used to the language and when she is a few months older she will answer you as well.Your wife has to do that either but in Polish.When you get the girl to bed you read her fairy-tales,right?Do something like that - first day fairy tale in Spanish,second day fairy tale in Polish,hird day fairy tale in English - different tales every day,not one and the same but first day in Spanish then in Polish and then in English.Teach your daughter some songs you know from your childhood and let your wife do the same.Invite guests to your house and let the child listen to your conversations in English with them.When your daughter is a bit older you may consider some movies(for children) in both Spanish and Polish(she will probably see enough movies in English).
And don't worry about what language your daughter will speak with her schoolmates one day if she hasn't learned english quite well.Children perfectly know when to use one language and when - another.At least I was like that when I was a little girl.Good luck!

Answer 2

I have a friend who's children speak English, Arabic, and French fluently. Sometimes all three at once, choosing their words from the language that best expresses their ideas!

They spoke Arabic and French at home consistantly when the children were young, but sent the children to English speaking pre-school. At that point, they helped their children with learning English, but basically stuck with Arabic and French in the home.

Their kids are all old enough now that they don't even think about language... they just speak whatever works!

Good luck with this! What a great gift for your daughter!

Answer 3

I was taught German as my mother and mothers family was German even though I was born here in the US and my father was American. I also was taught Russian, and honestly, I really wish my parents would have just taught me English first. It's fantastic to know other languages...but you have to use them or you loose them as I am sure you know. Because I never used the Russian and German going into school and around friends, I lost it, and in my opinion I could have been advancing more in other things such as science, math, and music. My parents did teach me to play the piano and the violin, and to this day I still play them and I am 26, but my only advice to you being brought up the way you're bringing up your daughter may not be as useful as you think it might. I wish I would have learned more musical instruments or things like that...I can barely communicate in Russian now, and very little in German. But that's just my situation...if you have a fmaily that speaks polish and Spanish all the time, most likely she won't loose it as I did...but I felt really funny going to school at age 5 when everyone only spoke english. That's just my two cents! Hope I didn't offend...it sounds like you love your daughter and just keep doing what is best for her.

Answer 4

hey, i might be able to give you some good advise or example.
Well, i m not in a married status but i have experience of learning many languages since i was young!
My dad speaks Chinese, Wa and shan and my mom speaks Burmese, karenni and shan. But i speak English, Thai, shan, karenni, Burmese, some Chinese and Karen.
I learned Shan first of all because it is the common language in the family, then stepped to the community used language and world using language.
my suggestion is for the 15 months kid she can't learn those three languages at the same time, so that you and the wife must think of the most important one first. when she starts schooling, you can teach her the rest.

good luck with the daughter!!!!!

Answer 5

what i have been told by experts that bilingual kids will have late speech around 4 yrs old...
i would concentrate on teaching her the polish and spanich because if u are living in the US then she will pick up english at school anyways. And dont worry at first she is young u will see her picking up perfect english after 6 months. Always keep ur home languages at home.

Answer 6

That's wonderful! Keep at it! It's very important to know a number of different languages nowadays. (I speak 4, and I use them in my career).

At home my husband and I both speak Spanish to our daughter, and did so exclusively until she somehow learnt English on her own!! (I guess on tv, and from people around her). Don't worry about not specifically teaching your daughter English. If you live in USA then she has English around her anyway, and will certainly pick it up.

When my daughter was little I was concerned about her not learning to speak English by the time she gets to school, but I'm not worried about that any more. Just make sure to expose your little one to English. Take her to playgroups with kids in English, or library storytime, etc.

She's now bilingual, and I hope to put her into French-immersion when she goes to school (we live in Canada), so that'd be her 3rd language.

Answer 7

I also grew up in a multilingual home. My mother spoke cebuano, my father spoke chinese, my extended family spoke to me in tagalog and some of my friends spoke spanish. I guess the only way that those languages stuck to me was because everbody around me was adament about speaking their language. Growing up in the states, I eventually learned english at school, on tv and with my other friends. I really do hope that you stick to your routine of speaking Polish and Spanish at home. It's not easy. Don't give up by just sticking to English at home.

Answer 8

Wow, it's great you are going to teach your baby 3 languages since such early age. I read an article about ways to bring up a child prodigy http://www.womanspassions.com/articles/76.html
Hope it's useful for you too

Answer 9

simply use english in front of the child more and she will get it. and do you sit down and play word games with her? if so get a photo of an object and when you show it to her, say the name of that object in all three languages. shes young so you have plenty of time.

Answer 10

God bless.