Welcome to The Cultured Kid's Blog

Ever wondered the best method of introducing a language to your child? This week, the ABC’s Richard Glover interviewed Dr Karen Mattock, Senior Lecturer in Lifespan Development at the University of Western Sydney. In this interview, she shared a little of the research her team has uncovered around the best methods of language acquisition for infants. It’s definitely worth the listen!

You can listen to the full interview here: 

 

One of the most commonly asked questions in our community is ‘Where on earth do I find resource to help my child learn a language?!’

When starting your child down the bilingual journey, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin, especially if you don’t speak the target language yourself. Studies have shown that the best way to engage a child in a language is through high levels of exposure. Whether this is through an immersive preschool program that your child attends, regular conversation with a bilingual family member or even through watching television or listening to music, exposure is a key tool to language acquisition.

A 2016 study at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that musical experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills. Chances are, if you have a preschooler you would know that not only...

You may have heard crickets around the blogosphere during the last few weeks because we have been working like crazy people to launch our very first online Parents Program… Which is now LIVE! !!!!

After spending years teaching Preschool French and Spanish in daycare centres across Sydney, the common feedback from parents was, “How do we continue the learning from home?”  – So, through blood, sweat and tears (of joy), we created an online learning program that mums and dads can teach, even if they don’t speak the language!! Yep – It’s that easy! 

Which brings us to our blog for today! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you first take steps to introduce a language to your child. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to even start, which is why we wanted to give you tools to take the first step. It’s common knowledge that one of the best ways to develop language & literacy skills in...

THIS CIRCLE WAS CREATED by Alberto Lucas Lopez for the South China Morning Post. It’s an easy way to wrap your head around the 4.1 billion people around the world who speak (as their native tongue) one of 23 of the world’s most-spoken languages.

What languages do you speak and what are you teaching your children??

via Matador Network

Are you raising a bilingual child? Subscribe to stay up to date with related articles and download our FREE Checklist - 10 Vital Tips for Teaching Your Child a Language to help you build a solid foundation for language learning at home. 

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We are always on the look out for kids books that will open the eyes of our little ones to the world! Today, we share a fun post from Courtney over at Babyccinokids on some fantastic travel books that will inspire your little ones to see the world through their own perspectives. Enjoy! x

My friend Henley from Passported recently introduced me to the wonderful Leap & Hop series of travel books for children, and I only wish I had known about these earlier! The children would have loved filling out the Sri Lanka book while we were there a few months ago. I think it’s such a wonderful way for children to discover a new destination (and a great way to keep them entertained during long flights and travel days).

I have since been in touch with the author, Isabelle Demenge, who shared her story with me, explaining why she’s created a series of travel books for children.  In 2008 she had moved from New York to Hong Kong with her...

We all know that kids are sponges when it comes to absorbing information, but have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of how a child actually learns a language, or two, or three while they are infants?

Patricia Kuhl is the co-director of the Institute for Brain and Learning Sciences at the University of Washington and is internationally recognized for her research on early language and brain development. We couldn’t help but share her TED Talk with you today as her research findings have implications for critical periods of development, particularly when it comes to bilingual education.

Hope you enjoy!

1. Download my Free Checklist of How to Get Started Teaching Your Kids a Language - (Even If You Don't Speak It Fluently!)

2. Join our Free 5 Day Kids Language Challenge.

3. Watch my Free 4 Part Video Series Workshop + Get Confident about Giving Your Kids a Headstart!

4. Subscribe to our Weekly Language Lessons + Receive Lessons,...

It’s common knowledge that reading to children from a young age has many, many benefits…

At the very least it promotes listening skills, increases the number of vocabulary words that babies hear, develops their attention span and memory, helps them to learn to understand the meaning of words, stimulates the imagination and all the senses plus many more!

Well, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that if you’re wanting to teach your child a second language, the earlier you start, the better. Studies have shown that children who are read out loud when they are babies are more proficient at that language and have better reading skills once they start school than children who weren’t.

Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry! We have included some top tips on how to help make this process a fun experience for you and your child!

5 Tips on Reading Language Books to your Children

    •    Begin reading to...

It wasn’t that long ago that my 3-year-old daughter came home from preschool talking all about her day and wanting to share all that had taken place. I remember it as clear as day because it was the first time I heard my daughter referring to one of her best friends as,‘Sarah with the black face.’

See my daughter had TWO friends called Sarah and was innocently trying to communicate which Sarah it was that she actually played with. Suffice to say, we tried not to make it a big deal, as we gently encouraged her to perhaps use the girls last name to differentiate between friends. I knew however that we were about to embark on an ongoing discussion about the complexities of race and varying cultures in the world and it was my job to prepare my little girl to live it out well.

So today, we wanted to share with you just a handful of books that will help make that discussion as natural and as enjoyable as possible with your little ones as you continue down that road...

 When it comes to teaching your children foreign languages, one of our favourite things to do is dispel the myth that it is impossible to teach your own kids, especially if you only know one yourself. This week, we bring to you an article from one of our favourite Mum blogs – Babyccino Kids. We know you’re going to love them and enjoy the practical tips on how to introduce a second language in a single language home! Feel free to share your tips on how you outwork this in your home in the comments below! Enjoy! x

Over the years, I have received a few requests to explain how it is possible that all four of my children speak English, even though we live in the Netherlands, we solely speak Dutch at home, and, from the age of four, they attend public Dutch schools like all other Dutch children. Our children speak and understand English — maybe not fluently like a native English speaker, but they can follow and initiate conversations on a very functional...