The Multilingual Home

Hi, Bonjour, Merhaba...You know what I haven't done in a while??

I know you are thinking language learning tips...but I was thinking introductions...haha

♥️I'm Adrienne, a mom to 3 kids under 8 (Miss F, Mr Z and Mr M).
♥️I'm American from Kentucky. My husband's Turkish and we live in France. We speak 6 languages between us - usually 4 on a daily basis but sometimes you'll hear all 6.
♥️I blog about our adventures in multiple language learning, homeschool, expat life and raising multilingual kids.

♥️I'm a creative person. I create digital language learning games and printables and love making kids smile.

Most weekends, you'll find me out at the park with my kids, reading a book and catching up on laundry.

I'd LOVE to connect with you! Tell me below - what's your favorite thing to do during the weekend?

6 REASONS WHY YOUR MULTILINGUAL FAMILY SHOULD TAKE A VACATION

According to the Webster dictionary, a vacation means taking a break from usual activities or a holiday.

Considering the definition, here are 6 reasons why you should consider a vacation for your multilingual family

🌄 Focus on the minority language
A vacation for a multilingual family means taking a break from the majority language for an extended period and focusing on the minority language which is not spoken as much as we would like. Maybe even a better title for vacation would be a minority language immersion experience.

🌄Create memories with family
It is a time to be with family we don't see all the time and create memories with them. It is chance for your family to experience everyday language, phrases, cultures and traditions that might not be encountered back at home.

🌄Opportunity for your spouse to learn the language
Encourage your spouse to learn some of your language during the trip instead of translating for them in order to create a bond with your family. Also its an opportunity for them to speak their language (unless it's the majority one) with your kids aka double minority language exposure.

🌄 Coming back refreshed for the next chapter.
A vacation allows us to take a break from our daily activities and re-evaluate what has been working or not for our multilingual family. That way once we are back home, we can put a plan in motion to be more consistent or speak the minority languages more often especially through the next tip.

🌄Stock up on minority language resources
While you are in the minority language country, buy as many resources like books, games or activities that you can. Then you can incorporate them in your language lessons.

📸: Sunflower field spotted from my sister-in-law's house in Turkey

Where does your family travel to for a minority language immersion vacation ?

Can you believe its already Dhul Hijjah and Hajj season? 😁

I created this activity book for my kids a few years ago based on their interest in qtip and finger painting.

At the time my daughter was learning to read in English, so I incorporated the journey of a pilgrim in a reader format.

After each reader page, there is an activity or two based off what your child read.

Activity pages include:
❤️Learning and tracing the talbiyah and duas in English and Arabic transliteration
❤️ qtip painting tawaf and Arafat...
♥️packing a pilgrim's suitcase
❤️ cut&paste the rocks at jamarat
♥️and more...

♥️♥️So many things to do for multiple aged children.

Interested in learning more, click the link in our bio.

It's finally here! A FREE step by step guide on teaching Arabic to kids from my good friend Hana of Arabic Nest.

✨ It's finally here al hamdulil'Allah! ✨

💫 Teach Me Arabic 💫

Your Step By Step Guide To Teaching Arabic Following Your Child's Development

And guess what? It's FREE 🥳🥳

I'm super excited to be able to share this with you all.

I pray it is beneficial and can help you in your Arabic Journey.

But this is only the first step in a much larger plan in shaa Allah.

Stay tuned for more!

🔗 Link to download in bio in shaa Allah: https://arabicnest.ck.page/75fd27177f

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPk6g8UH8I4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

LEARNING THE MINORITY LANGUAGE AT HOME⁠ ⁠ In his book, "Maximize your child's bilingual ability", Adam Beck @bilingualadventures, asks parents how strongly they believe that their actions each day impact their child's bilingual journey?⁠ ⁠ ⁠Since, my two oldest kids attend a bilingual school in French (the majority language) and Arabic, we continue learning at home after school in English and Turkish. I believe that learning doesn't have to stop at school, learning at home is possible and it can be fun too. Every mom or dad can be a teacher. ⁠ ⁠ ❤️For example, take a fun dollar store workbook, review numbers and counting in your minority language(s). ⁠ ⁠ 👉Talk about the name and color of the objects in the picture on the page. ⁠ ⁠ 👉You can even use a workbook that is in another language, for example point to the letters in the alphabet.⁠ ⁠ 👉Talk about the sounds they make or the names of the letters and point out the differences from the minority and majority languages. ⁠ ⁠ 👉Get all of your children involved too.⁠ Here we got out some tables and chairs for each child. Everyone got a fun workbook to review. My kids kept telling me that it was so fun to have mom be the teacher for the day!⁠ ⁠ How do you make learning at home fun and engaging?⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #learningathome #homeschool #homeschoolingfamily #schoolathome #homework #funactivities #languagelearningathome #languagelearning #bilingualkids #raisingbilingualkids #bilingualfamily #trilingualfamily #multilingualfamily #multilingualkids #dollarstorefinds #dollarstoreforkids #kidsworkbook #homeschoolmom #bilingualmonkeys #adambeck #bilingual #trilingual #raisingtalkers #learningenglish #learningarabic #polygotkids #learningturkish #expatfamily #expatkids #thirdculturekids

Elisavet Arkolaki from Malta Mum (we interviewed her once for a multilingual family interview and for her multicultural books) is giving away free e-books in multiple languages every 1st of the month.

Check out the free books for this month by clicking the link below. One of the books includes Ute Limacher-Riebold and Elise Miranda 's Toolbox for Multilingual Families!

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmaltamum.com%2Ffree-childrens-ebooks-in-many-languages%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1y9X-LwrsozucHJJ8ADES47-ZUEVW7ow1whriH69_G_uhplb7vVUYkx4s&h=AT0iVTkX5Wm2NkNtkn1yFnm-m7AeDeayQtGBU3pRg9REjE7WYpW33pad_G5tAXoCemfhyVvnPizk9xWyUFcycOg-xDaSQTSJLLqZ1X2h373_pbvSRjmz-7-dacFshLKQ&__tn__=R]-R&c[0]=AT30pAihiKhThVbrS5ht6FkCPVwD5MVMibXwG9gj8T3d1QKNXG_3cM4cv54qQ91T22nrzkYtV9_FxSNzY9CKfSQVc40S1qdkz8G1cGsEE7MCOVM80lwjbRxySDL3EhSjH_bNS4zDfzig1qhouwPstjgML8TojuF-C_X1_SVgKHdQ0hQ4lQE6OZXnSHY9IhAzjydwjxyBsNxa_KdjqP0Kx_GBmNcL9gaQjYjSN404ie4dtRQf4eH47w

FREE CHILDREN’S EBOOKS IN MANY LANGUAGES! : Maltamum I find it hard to believe it has been 4 years since the day I left Malta and moved to Norway. Where did the years go? My husband and I left Malta with a 3-year-old and a baby in the belly, and now the kids were old enough for me to leave them behind, and […]

Do you agree with this quote?

Language Learning Tips 🌲Make connections with nature🌲

Mr. 3s new favorite activity is to explore the park after we drop his older sister and brother off at school.

Here are some practical tips on how to encourage speech and language development through nature particularly through trees for kids.

🌲Find an open space to let your child explore in whether it be a yard, a park, a field, the woods, etc.
🌲 Try to go outside at least one time a day whether rain or shine
🌲 Find leaves from different trees that you can show your kids and ask them about their shape, color, size or type.
🌲If possible, find parts of a tree like we found in the above picture. .
We talked about the shape of the leaf and the spiky green case that holds the smooth conker or horse chestnut. We also touched the bark and I added words like rough, scaly, patchy.
🌲Count the number of trees that you see.
🌲Ask your child to help you take a picture of the tree so that you can later identify the tree.
🌲Collect leaves, sticks, nuts, or shells (if you are allowed) to bring home to put on a nature table, look at later, or explain to another person that wasn't with you.
🌲Let your child climb the tree (if possible) talking about where they put their foot to climb up and pulling themselves up etc.
🌲Visit one of the trees you have previously explored at least once a month to discuss changes the tree may have experienced. For example, talking about the leaves changing color or falling down, or the shells are becoming larger to make room for the nuts and seeds.

How do you make learning about nature fun for your kids?

BEST part of my work (and how you're wrong 😂)

Most people assume the best part of raising a multilingual family is having my child speak in one of our minority languages, or reading a sentence from a book, or making digital games for them and other kids - well all of these are absolutely true❤️❤️...

BUT best part of my work is THIS ⬇️⬇️⬇️

"My kids love this! Boom cards have been a great help for my son with learning difficulties like dyslexia and dysgraphia. They are lots of fun! Thank you!" - Safana from Australia

Boom cards have been spreading happiness and making life easier for other parents raising multilingual kids.

Check out our stories to see some of our NEW digital games.

Interested in learning how you can use these games with your kids?
Leave a ❤️ below and I'll send you a FREE getting started guide.










english

Hidden Challenges of Raising Multilingual Multicultural Kids

Besides the obvious challenges (like children not speaking your language and the majority language) of raising kids multilingual, there are a few hidden challenges that are hardly talked about. One of them being the issue of skin color and racism.

“How our Skin Sparkles” by is about a boy asking his mom about why his skin seems to be a different shade than his classmates and even his own family. His mom answers his questions through science, but also relates it to their family history and culture as well as a few other clever ways. This book is a great read for kids who may be struggling with this same question because it provides them with valuable information on how to respond when dealing with this issue.

Most parents who are raising multicultural or biracial kids would probably agree, the issue of skin color is brought up many times. We have encountered comments from people about how our children don’t look like their origins, But the book lets the reader know that each person has their unique color. “How our Skin Sparkles”, is not only relatable for kids but presents them with arguments they can give when people comment about their skin color. You can read more of my review of this book plus an interview with the author over on my blog, click the link "BLOG" in my bio.

How do you talk with your children about skin color and race?

I would want to know Arabic and Turkish. How about you?

TEACH YOUR KIDS ABOUT LANGUAGE ACCENTS

One problem I've experienced lately is kids making fun of the way I speak French. I have lived in France for 11 years, studied it for more than 20 years and I still have my thick American accent.

The other day during lunch duty, I was asking some kids to stop playing rough with each other. They looked at me and said "Madame, we don't speak English, tell us in French." I responded "I am speaking to you in French, but if you would like I can change to English." They responded "but we told you we don't speak English."

I used this opportunity to share with them the beauty of accents. I asked where they were born and they all replied France and I told them that I was born in the US. I told them that sometimes people move to other countries because of work or school opportunities. I told them that French was my second language and therefore that is why I had an accent. I told them that when they learn English they will have an accent too and they shouldn't be ashamed of it.

I explained that language accents are beautiful because it means that a person has experienced other languages, cultures or places around the world and that no one should make fun of another just because of the way they talk.

Behind every accent there is a story waiting to be shared.

How do you talk with your kids about accents?