When you enroll your child in our language immersion preschool, you want to do everything you can to help support their language learning. While spending all day at school while immersed in the language is going to go a long way towards helping them acquiring a second language, you also want to be sure to do what you can to support their efforts at home. Whether or not you are familiar with the language yourself, you can help contribute to their language education in a few different ways. Many parents come to us asking what they can do to help their child at home.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME
There are many different ways you can support your child’s language learning as a parent. Enrolling them in a language immersion preschool like Crossing Borders is one of the best things you can do to help your child become multilingual. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t certain things you can do at home as well. For example, we suggest that parents read their children books in their chosen language at bedtime. There is research to suggest that studying a foreign language right before bed helps your brain retain it in your long-term memory. Additionally, at our language immersion preschool, your child will learn many songs to sing in their language of choice. Have your child teach you these songs so you can sing them together, whether it be in the car, in the kitchen, or during bath time. Finally, you can memorize certain phrases so you can engage your child in conversation in the chosen language at home. Below, we have outlined some common phrases in each of the languages we offer in our preschool classes that will help you communicate with your child in their chosen language.
SPANISH
- Buenos días – Good morning
- Cómo estás? – How are you?
- Por favor – Please
- Gracias – Thank you
- De nada – You’re welcome
- Lo siento – Sorry
- Te quiero – I love you
- Alto! – Stop!
- Vamanos! – Let’s go!
- Buenas noches – Good night
FRENCH
- Bonjour – Good day
- Ça va? – How are you?
- S’il vous plaît – Please
- Merci – Thank you
- De rien – You’re welcome
- Désolé(e) – Sorry
- Je t’aime – I love you
- Arrête! – Stop!
- Allons-y! – Let’s go!
- Au revoir – Goodbye
- Bonne nuit – Good night
MANDARIN
- Nǐ hǎo – Hello
- Nǐ hǎo ma? – How are you?
- Máfán nǐ – Please
- Xièxie – Thank you
- Bú kèqi – You’re welcome
- Duìbùqǐ – Sorry
- Wǒ ài nǐ – I love you
- Tíng! – Stop!
- Zǒu ba! – Let’s go!
- Bàibài – Goodbye
- Wǎnān – Goodnight
At Crossing Borders Preschool, we do everything we can to help your child learn a new language by immersing them in it on a daily basis. Immersion is a crucial part of language learning, and this can be supported inside and outside the classroom. If you are interested in scheduling a tour of our language immersion preschool, contact us today!
