I myself am an English speaking parent with little experience with foreign language. I haven't put much thought into the topic but I'm responding to your post to encourage you. I myself, living in a more rural town have been denied from a couple of jobs that would have been a good opportunity for me because I could not speak spanish. I haven't heard of this happening with other foreign languages but I'm not the first to encounter this shocking job requirement in the states. With spanish speaking imigrants on the rise in the employment industry and in our neighbourhoods, teaching your child this foreign language will definatly be an asset to them in the future, no matter what they choose to do with themselves. Taking your child to celebree or other "child training center" can be expensive, but going to like amazon.com or freecycling on yahoo you can get dvds, computer games or other foreign language teaching devices can be very affordable or even free! I started my son watching "My Baby Can Read" videos at nine months old. I never do the activities with him and read books less than daily but after a year of on and off watching the videos I'm very impressed with my son's vocabulary skills at two yr's old. As far as foreign languages go I's sure it's the same. Your child's knowledge grows more in the first five years of life then any other time period. Teaching anything to your child during this time, a musical intsturment, reading, ice skating, will be easier and more productive. |
