Have You Any Experience (Success?) with Teaching a Child a 2Nd Language ?

Well I speak 2 different languages, and from what i understand, hearing it daily is what helps you. Unfortunately my husband and I don't speak it at home...we're just used to talking in English (though we're fluent in our own language) so what I did was find cartoons online and let my son watch that. Being that Spanish is a common language in the US, how about letting him watch spanish cartoons on TV. I think that'll PROBABLY be cheaper than getting a tutor? and you have access to it 24/7. or Rosetta Stones? From what a pediatrician told my cousin, any language taught before the age of 7 is retained and can be easily brought back up at a future time in life..i thought that was interesting! good luck!!!

My mom spoke Spanish & English to us when we were kids.
That helped a lot!
She would, also, tell us how to say every day things in Spanish like fruits,
veggies, water, how to ask for things, how to ask how people were doing
etc. That's how she started.
I would hear her converse w/her family.
I could hear her end of phone coversations then ask questions later if
appropriate.
It's amazing what kids pick up on if you speak both languages to them, in
front of them etc.
Then later I took it in high school.
I am so glad I learned another language. Came in handy. Then in college I took another language. It's a neat, fun experience to be able to go to another country & get around, converse w/people in their native hometown etc.
I even learned sign language but you lose the language if you don't practice.
I think it's great to teach another language, to be exposed to another
language, to be cultured & well rounded. Speaking Spanish can also help in the job search when they are older. Opening up doors to them that would otherwise be closed.

Easy....At this age,kids learn languages like little sponges. Some parents take the approach of mom speaking one language to the kid and dad speaking the second language. Other parents, like us speak and read to our kids both languages to our kids during the day. It is a natural thing, they actually grab it instantly. I have 2 kids (11 and 5) both are bilingual English/Spanish. They speak and read fluently both languages. TV, radio, magazines and books are your best resources and a lot of repetition and speaking aloud about everything (groceries, daily routines, toys. Actually, kids learn even without a formal teaching. they just grasp it in the air...Speaking, and reading in both languages every single day.That's the key.

You know, I want to do this too. Spanish is so important to learn around where I live. My son is always trying to speak Spanish and I can teach him, a few nouns/verbs but that's it. Hiring a tutor would be neat and a good start, but the best way for kids to learn a second language is to hear it in daily conversation in his home environment. Maybe you and your husband can learn along side him?

So is Spanish your native language? You said you and Husband only learned English.... So is Spanish your 1st language?
If so, then simply speak to your child in your language.

My kids, are both multilingual.

Kids, learn foreign languages well.
Better than adults.

From birth, my Husband spoke to them in his native language and I spoke to them in English.
My kids are now 8 and 5 years old.
They are, multilingual, can speak and read in both languages.
At school they also learn: Japanese, Hawaiian, and Mandarin. They are adept at it. And learn other languages well. And my kids also learn Spanish from Dora/Diego. Yes. They KNOW Spanish quiet well, from these shows.

Learning other languages, in kids, actually develops more synapses in the brain. And they learn it, better, than single language households.

The earlier you start, the better.
Just in the child's environment. Not only via formal lessons.
But, BOTH parents, have to speak it, daily.
Not using both languages in the same sentence, otherwise the child will learn incorrect grammar/sentence structure.

Are you or your Husband, bi-lingual?
If so, then use your languages with your child.
It is in the everyday exposure, that a child learns best.
IF you and your Husband do not know the language, then your child will only be learning it from a Tutor. And his everyday environment will not be exposing him to that language.
Because... becoming adept at learning another language, means... putting it to use, DAILY, in conversations. With their parent. Too. Not just one or twice a week with a Tutor. And being exposed to the language, in other ways. Via other kids, media, reading it, speaking it, etc.

ALSO, join culture clubs in your area. That is how, a child can learn other languages too. Anyone can join. Even you/Hubby with your child.

I taught English to a group of 3 and 4 year olds in Thailand and I couldn't belive how fast they learned. Children are able to learn languages more easily than adults, I think you should definitely introduce him to Spanish!

My friend's daughter is learning Cantonese using the Rosetta Stone program and she is very adept at the language so you might look into using that. We are using a curriculum called Berlitz for our kids. They are learning Spanish at this time, but we are looking to branch out to other languages as well.

Good luck!

We used Rosetta Stone so we could all learn it. It was great! We love it. It's expensive up front, but less than a tutor would be, plus any other children you may have can benefit from it, too. I think you can have up to around 6 users for a personal setup. We started it with our oldest when he was 2 and he picked up on it very fast. We've waited till a bit older with our other two because they had severe speech delays. GL!

I realize he is 3.5 so this may not work for you. My daughter started Spanish in 6th grade as required to take a language. She is currently in 11th grade AP Spanish 4 and pretty fluent.

She will watch the Spanish tv shows to get a better grasp on some pronounciations, etc., At school, once you cross the threshold of the Spanish room door, NO ONE is allowed to speak English!

My daughter also babysits for some families in the neighborhood who want their children to learn Spanish. When she babysits, she plays games in Spanish with them to help them learn some words, etc.

There is a preschool here called the Spanish Schoolhouse where Spanish is taught. You need to be immersed in it more than once or twice a week to get a grasp for it.

My kids have been in an exclusively spanish speaking home daycare since birth. They are now 4 and 5. They do not speak spanish. They know a few words, but they don't speak spanish. They point, they understand enough of what's said to get the point, but they can't hold a conversation. I'd hoped they'd be fluent, but that's not what is spoken in our home, so they really dont ever use it. I think once they get into a structured class, it will be familiar enough to them to come pretty easy to them. I think it comes down to what's spoken at home.

I think that sounds like a wonderful idea - however, I dont think that he will become fluent in the language at either a once or twice a week Spanish lesson at preschool, or with a tutor who only comes once or twice a week.

To be really fluent, he would need to be immersed in the language and hear and use it daily in conversations.

I like the idea of the cartoons - that would help.

Do you have any language schools in your area? Here, we have preschools that JUST teach in Spanish. We also have two way dual language programs in many of our elementary schools, so that children learn both languages.