Becoming a Bilingual Family: Help Your Kids Learn Spanish (and Learn Spanish Yourself in the Process) - Paperback

by Stephen Marks (Author)

Would you like your children to grow up bilingual, even if you aren't yet? Then speak to your kids in Spanish as you learn the language along with them. Becoming a Bilingual Family gives English-speaking parents the tools to start speaking Spanish with their kids in their earliest years, when children are most receptive to learning languages. It teaches the vocabulary and idioms for speaking to children in Spanish and offers practical, proven ways to create a language-learning environment at home.

The first part of the book introduces parents to many resources-books, audio books, music, television, computer programs, childcare workers, school, and friends-that can help you establish a home environment conducive to the acquisition of Spanish. The second part is a Spanish phrasebook that takes you through all the typical activities that parents and children share, from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night. Few, if any, other Spanish study aids provide this much vocabulary and guidance for talking to small children about common daily activities. The authors also include a quick course in Spanish pronunciation and enough grammar to get a parent started. Spanish-language resources, kids' names in Spanish, and an easy-to-use index and glossary complete the book.

Take the Markses' advice and start talking to your kids in Spanish, even if it's not perfect. You'll learn the language together and share the excitement of discovering the peoples and cultures that make up the Spanish-speaking world.

Author Biography

Stephen Marks is Professor of Law at Boston University. He and his wife, Mary, have raised their three children, Olivia, Claire, and Saraí, to speak both English and Spanish. He and his family have traveled extensively and lived in Latin America and Spain.

An advocate for bilingual-bicultural education with a professional career in languages spanning twenty-five years, Jeffrey Marks is Assistant Professor of Spanish at Ohio University. He has long been interested in language acquisition and has taught children and young adults both in the United States and abroad. His children speak English, Spanish, and French.