Bilingual Word Chart
Here's What To Do
Make a chart with three columns. Label one column "English," another column with another language your child speaks, and leave one column blank. If your child only speaks English, choose another language and research vocabulary words in that language.
Choose 5 words for your Bilingual Word Chart.
- Find pictures to represent those words: cut out pictures from magazines, print pictures from the internet, or draw them. Glue them into the unlabeled column.
- In the other columns, write the word in English and in the other language.
Use the chart to practice saying the names of the pictures in both languages. (Optional) add to your chart as your child learns new words.
Talk with your child about why these languages are important to your family and people around the world.
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- Get ready to pronounce words! Stretch your face wide like a lion, then scrunch it up like a wrinkly raisin.
Engage:
- "What is this a picture of? Can you say it in English and in Spanish? I'll write it both ways."
- Talk with your child about who you know that speaks the languages on the chart. Ask them if they know about places in the world where people speak the languages. Are any of these places important for your family?
Encourage:
- If your child speaks more than one language, remind them how special it is to be able to express themselves in different languages.
- If your child is practicing a new language, remind them that it's okay if they can't say the words perfectly yet. With practice, they will improve.
Reflect:
- Ask your child how it feels to know two ways to say the same word.
Not quite ready?
Start with only 2-3 words that your child is familiar with and interacts with daily.
Ready for more?
Add new words to the chart so they can learn new words they are curious about.
As your child masters this skill...
They will know the meaning of words in a language important to their family and others around the world.