Raising a Bilingual Child

My child is being raised to be bilingual. The decision to do so was made before he was born. Our family never worried that it would confuse him or be detrimental to his development. His father was raised in a bilingual household and he has no memory of confusion or struggle due to this. He simply grew up knowing two languages. The process was natural, and later in his life he realized what a gift it has been to speak more than one language. Now he will be able to pass this gift of knowledge onto his son. We know other multilingual parents, whom for whatever reason hold off on exposing their child to another language. Some choose not to, because they feel it may be too difficult a task. Others were warned by family members, pediatricians, and friends that it is a bad idea because it would confuse the child. Do not be misled by such advice. Young children's minds are like sponges and have the capacity to absorb so much information, that learning more than one language at a time can be a very natural experience. Moreover, think of the countries around the world where there are more than one national language and children are expected to master those languages. What it comes down to, is that it is more difficult for an adult to learn another language than it is for a child. So the idea of teaching your child to be multilingual makes good sense.

For parents who speak more than one language there are two main methods. The method we use is called OPOL (One Parent One Language). This highly effective method requires each parent to speak the language that is their native or most fluent tongue. From the start, the child will associate a single language with each of the parents.

Another method is known as Minority Language at Home. This method is useful for parents that are native speakers of a language other than the language of the country in which they are living. With this technique, parents speak their native tongue (the minority language) when in the home. The child then learns the majority language from the community.

What if you or the members of your immediate family do not speak another language? There are still many ways to prime your child in a second language. From birth, create an environment of another language. You can do this by playing foreign music, language CDs, language videos and foreign films in the home on a regular basis. Learn a language with your child. As you learn new vocabulary, share these words with your child. Read foreign language books to your child. You can organize playgroups with other parents who want to expose their children to another language. You can also hire an au-pair or baby sitter who can speak to your child in a second language. Consider traveling with your child to where the language is spoken. As your child gets older, many cities have language programs for children and even foreign language academies that offer children their education in a foreign language. What is important, is that you remain consistent, and do not give up. Whatever exposure you can offer to your child will enhance their ability to learn, speak and understand foreign language as they get older.

Manhattan For Kids: Neighborhood Quick List

Here is a quick list of some great places to visit with your children when in Manhattan:

Tribeca
The Children's Museum of the Arts- 72 Spring Street

SoHo
New York City Fire Department Museum- 278 Spring Street

Lower East Side
Public Gardens:
The Children's Garden- 12th Street, between Avenues B and C
Jardin de Paradiso - 5th Street, between C and D
Toyota Children's Learning Garden- 603 East 11th Street

Greenwich Village
Washington Square Park- Fifth Avenue and University Place

Lower Manhattan
South Street Seaport- 19 Fulton Street at the East River

Midtown
The Empire State Building- 350 Fifth Avenue
Central Children's Room at the Donnell Library- 20 W 53rd St‎ -
Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum- Pier 86, Hudson River at 46th Street
The MOMA- 11 W 53rd Street
FAO Schwarz- 767 5th Avenue

Central Park
Children's Zoo- East Side between 64th Street
Delacorte Music Clock- 65th St. by the zoo
Rowboats- Central Park Lake at 76th Street
The Carousel- Mid-park at 64th Street
The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater- CPW at 79th Street
Belvedere Castle- Mid-park at 79th St.

Upper East Side
The Metropolitan Museum of Art- Fifth Avenue and 82 Street

Upper West Side
The American Museum of Natural History - CPW 79th Street
New York City Ballet- Lincoln Center, between West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Baby Names from Around the World

The world we live in is becoming increasingly multicultural. Many parents take this into consideration when choosing a name for their new child. Often parents select a diverse name as a celebration of one's own ethnicity or to express an admiration for things exotic. Whatever the reason, there are many beautiful choices in selecting a foreign name for your child. Here is a collection of unique and meaningful names (of mixed gender) from around the world that can help you begin your quest.


A
Aba- Ghana
Adara- Greek
Axel- Hebrew
Abba- Hebrew
Ababuo- Ghana
Anaya- Hebrew
Aalam- Indian
Akash- Indian
Aya- Japanese
Andreia- Portuguese
Abam- Ghana
Abbo- Uganda
Abebi- Nigeria
Abeke- Nigeria
Adisa – Ashanti
Adel – German
Ajax- Greek
Aysel – Turkish
Akin- Yoruba
Avita- Hebrew
Abena-Ghana
Abeni-Nigeria
Aamir – Indian
Anwell – Celtic
Adwin – Ghana
Avalon- Welsh
Amaia- Basque
Alazne- Basque
Atlantis- Greek
Ander- Basque
Adiran- Basque
Ari- Icelandic
Ayla- Hebrew
Aditeya- Indian
B
Basil- Greek
Bjork- Icelandic
Brenneka- Germanic
Bella- Hebrew, Italian
C
Carla- Italian, Portuguese
Chayna- Inca
Chimala- Ixil Maya
Chloe- Greek
Charissa- Greek
Chandra- Indian
Ceri- Italian
D
Denzin- Tibetan
Dalmar – Somali
Dragan – Slavic
Dafina – Swahili
Damiano- Italian
Dora- Greek
Dante- Italian
Dimitris- Greek
Duarte- Portuguese
E
Elan- French
Elias- Hebrew
Ebele- African Igbo
Eshe- African Swahili
Einar – Scandinavian
Eolande – Celtic
Evelina- Italian
Ekata- Indian
Elia- Hebrew
F
Fainne- Gaelic
Fairamay- Middle English
Fatima- Arabic
Ferran- Arabic
Fintan – Irish
G
Gavran- Serbian/Croatian
Geiruna- Swedish
Geeti- Indian
H
Hamsa- Indian
Hea- Korean Botan
I
Isla- Spanish
Ismet – Turkish
Iason- Greek
Iris- Hebrew
Indu- Indian
J
Jeevarani- Hindi
Jetta- English
Johari- Swahili
Joelle- Hebrew
Jonah- Hebrew
Johari – Kiswahili
Juro- Japanese
Jovana – Hindi
Jyoti – Indian
K
Kaja- Estonian
Kirima- Kikuyu
Kammie- Japanese
Kichi- Japanese
Kitane- Lenape
Keshen- Mandarin
Kosan- Zulu
Kenyatta – East African
L
Loramendi- Basque
Lawan – Thai
Lindell – Swedish
Lilija Icelandic
Lysander- Greek
Leonardo- Italian
Liviu- Romanian
M
Makani- Hawaiian
Morgandy – Celtic
Makeeda – Ethiopian
Marcello- Italian
Manina- Polish
Marit – Swedish
Majid- Arabic
Marjan – Western Yugur
Medea- Greek
Mirai- Basque
Mareo- Japanese
Mahima- Indian
Mika- Japanese
Maia- Hebrew
Mira- Hebrew
Madalyn- Hebrew
Mikio- Japanese
N
Naiara- Basque
Naila- Arabic
Natia- Polish
Nia- African Swahili
Namika- Japanese
Nataani- Navajo
Naiya- Yucateco Maya
Naima – Arabic, Swedish
Naira – Quechuan and Aymaran
Niko- Greek
Niyol– Native American Navajo
Nellie- Greek
Nicholas- Greek
Noor- Arabic
Nubia- Egyptian
O
Owin- Irish
Orla- Irish
Ona- Irish
Omar- Hebrew
Osiris- Egyptian
P
Parvane- Persian
Paz- Spanish
Penelope- Greek
Paola- Italian
Prema- Indian
Pierce- Irish
Q
Quentin- Latin
R
Rami- Arabic
Renata – Italian
Radiance- English
Radich- Russian
Reliance- Early American
Re- Egyptian
Reina- Spanish
Romeo- Italian
Runako – African
S
Stavros- Greek
Shamiso- Shona
Saran – Guinea
Shani – Swahili
Senay Turkish
Sivan – Kurdish
Svana Icelandic
Stephania- Greek
Sirena- Greek
Sophie- Greek
Sadie- Hebrew
T
Tabitha- Hebrew
Tapio- Finnish
Tamire- Amharic
Terranova- Latin
Tiesa- Lithuanian
Troen- Norwegian
Tanvir – Indian
Tahir – Hebrew/Arabic
U
Ursula- Greek
V
Valeria- Italian
Vianca- Spanish
Venturo- Spanish
Vito- Italian
Valdis- Icelandic
W
Wakanna- Sioux
X
Xanti- Basque
Xavier- Basque
Xylon- Greek
Y
Yachay- Quechua
Yoora- Korean
Z
Zeusef- Portuguese
Zoe- Greek
Zuriel- Hebrew
Zeus- Greek