Bilingual Avenue with Marianna Du Bosq

176: What NOT to do when raising a bilingual child

We spend a lot of time talking about the things we should do and should try with our bilingual kids to help them on their language journey. But have you given some thought to the things that you should not do? I am going to share the one thing I NEVER want you to do with your bilingual kids. I never want you to bribe your bilingual kids to speak the target language.

175: Is my Bilingual Child Confused?

No, your bilingual child is not confused! In this episode, we'll cover common misconceptions about bilingualism and "confusion." We'll break down what it means to "code switch" and what it menas to "borrow" from another language. This episode will put your mind at ease, it's a good, tune in!

174: The Benefits of Talking to your Bilingual Children

173: Teaching Bilingual Kids Literacy

On this episode, I share how you can bring literacy in your target language to your home for your kids! We talk about how to plan, how to create routines and how to make time in the day.

172: My Best Games for Bilingual Kids!

On this episode, I share my best and favorite games for teaching bilingual kids vocabulary and grammar. They are fun, engaging and easy to find wherever you are in the world!

171: Creating a Need for a Bilingual Child

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, we talk strategically about how bilingual parents can create a need to use a language. This is part 3 of a series on how to get your kids to speak more of your target language.

170: Increasing Exposure for Bilingual Children

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, we talk about the importance of exposure and how to make sure that you are creating plenty of opportunities for your kids to get exposure in your target language.

169: Getting your bilingual kids to speak!

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, we start a three part series on how to get our kids to grow from passive to active bilinguals. In other words, we do not want them to just listen and understand what we say. We want them to actively speak and engage in the target language.

168: 5 fun & easy ways to celebrate the bilingual journey with your kids!

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I share with you 5 fun and easy ways that can help you celebrate the bilingual journey with your family. Make the commitment and just set some time aside to chat with them about what it means to be bilingual.

167: How to adjust when language conditions change with Bruna

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I host a consulting call with one of our members, Bruna. We address and plan some of the upcoming changes that Bruna's little one will experience at school and even at home with a third language. 

166: How to teach Spanish to elementary students

On this episode, I share strategies that you can use when teaching Spanish to elementary students. Listen up to get the scoop on some of my favorite methods to get kids this stage to stay engaged! 

165: 10 must listen Bilingual Avenue episodes

On this episode of the  podcast, I tell you about a survey I am doing and  share with you top episodes you may have missed and are most certainly worth listening to, not once but twice! 

164: Five easy strategies to teach preschoolers Spanish

On this episode, i share five easy strategies to teach preschoolers Spanish.  We also talk about what you can expect during this age group so you know how to maximize your time with your kids. 

163: Raising bilingual kids when there are few speakers of your target language

On the episode, I have a consulting call with one of the members from the Bilingual Avenue Members' Club. We talk what about you can do when there are not many people in the community that speak your target language, discuss  resources for teaching reading and writing in Spanish and even talk about other podcasts in Spanish. 

162: How to teach your toddler Spanish in a fun way including my favorite toys

On this episode, I discuss my favorite strategies for learning toddlers learn language. i also give some examples of the toys i have used in the past to help with each of the strategies. 

161: Music for little language learners with 123 Andrés

On this episode, I interview 123 Andrés and Cristina to chat about the beautiful musical work that they are doing for bilingual kids around the world. Tune in to get inspired and get to know this rockstar  for little l language learners. 

160: 8 toys to help you teach baby Spanish in a fun way

You can teach baby Spanish by setting a strong development foundation from the early days. A baby’s brain has the ability to grow at an outstanding rate! Babies are amazing! They have so much to learn in that first year of life. I have personally found the first year with each of my little ones to be very challenging while very rewarding at the same time. There is a lot happening in their little brains. The seeds for language development are already being planted well before they even utte...

159: My personal language story & what I learned from it

On this special episode of Bilingual Avenue, I share with you my personal struggles around language and how my family and I handled our ups and downs. I also share with you my lessons learned and how it led me to create Bilingual Avenue. 

158: How to teach your kids Spanish with five easy actions!

Teaching your kids Spanish seems daunting but with a combination of mindset and action you can establish a strong foundation for your kids’ language journey.  You can do this whether you are teaching your kids your native language or whether you are choosing to pass on to them one that you learned later in life and may not even speak all that well. Check out this episode to get some easy tips!

157: Bilingual Play Date Activities

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I share activities that you can carry out at a bilingual play date. Let’s talk a bit about how children of different ages play. This will help you with your planning and to make sure that you are meeting the needs of your participants. Play date activity tips by age group 0-2 year olds Kids at this age learn by exploring with their hands and mouth. They absolutely love to bang, throw, drop, shake and put things in their mouth. Now I understand you...

156: How to host a bilingual play date

A language play date is a great way to add more exposure and create a need for your kids to use the target language! There is something just magical about bilingual kids seeing their peers actively engaging in the same target language. Personally it has been very useful for our language journey. It is a great way to show my kids the value of communicating in Spanish. But often times, if we want to get a language play date started, we have to create it ourselves. The planning process can ...

155: Music for your bilingual kids & how to find it!

Music is one my favorite tools to integrate into the language learning process for little kids.  Songs provide a simple, fun and interactive way for children to interact with language and with culture. There are also many benefits to incorporating music into your language journey. Read through this list and see if you can avoid humming a few of your favorite tunes! Nursery rhymes provide the opportunity for lots of repetition which in turn builds on your child’s memory skills.  Memory ski...

154: Get the most out of the reading routine with your bilingual kids

A reading routine is essential in any home and arguably even more so in a bilingual household! Reading aloud to your kids is the most effective and perhaps simplest technique you can use to support your children’s language and literacy skills. Research has found that the number of words that a child knows by the time they enter Kindergarten is a predictor of his or her success. Reading lets you work on your child’s vocabulary better than any other activity. As bilingual parents, we are a...

152: Accountability: A to Z of Raising Bilingual Kids

Have you ever thought about how accountability can help you on the bilingual journey? This month, bloggers from around the world are coming together to write about the fascinating world of raising bilingual kids with topics from A to Z. Bilingual Avenue is kicking things off with accountability! It is not uncommon to lack the motivation needed to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. Some days we are full of energy and ready to take on the world. Then on other days those same go...

153: Valentine's day activities for bilingual kids

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I help you take action on your language journey by sharing 3 activities you can do with your kids around valentine's day! Each of these three activities can be adapted for any time of year. The key is to show your kids the power of love, relationships and friendships while working on the target language. Get your hands on the free printable for two out of the three activities at www.bilingualavenue.com/episode153

151: One Parent, One Language as a single parent

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat with Aimee Helfand, the creator of BabyLeague and Famileague on her approach to raising a bilingual child as a single mom. 

150: 2016 recap - What worked and what didn't

On this episode, Todd and I give you a recap of our year as a bilingual family. 

149: Pitfalls for bilingual families and how to avoid them with Laura & Abner Solano

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat with Laura and Abner Solano about their language journey.  We discuss podcasts, learning targets for bilingual kids and how to avoid the most common pitfalls for bilingual families. 

148: Q&A - 18 easy tips to boost vocabulary and grammar in the target language

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I share 18 tips from the Bilingual Avenue Advent Calendar.  These are quick, fun and easy tips that you can easily implement at home any time of the year.

147: Parenting Abroad with Jennifer Langkjaer

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat with Jennifer Langkjaer from Parenting Abroad about her parenting experience with multilingual children in  Switzerland. 

146: How to make your own bilingual audio book

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I walk you step by step through how to make your very own audio book.  This is specially a great resource if you have a hard time finding books in your own target language. 

145: How to choose the right school for your bilingual child

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I host a consulting call with a Bilingual Avenue Member.  We talk about school choices for bilingual families, accents and who involved we should be in supporting the community language. 

144: Q&A - 6 tips to feeling more natural when speaking the target language

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I share 6 tips specifically for parents who sometimes feel awkward when speaking the target language.  These are great ideas to get you going and feeling more confident! 

143: Learning the parenting lingo as a non-native speaker with Aileen Passariello-McAleer

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat with the creator of Mama Lingua about her personal experience raising bilingual kids in a non-native language.  We also talk about the wonderful app  that she has developed for other non-native parents!

142: Q&A - How to make a language plan

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I talk about language plans and what you need to have in yours!  Don't delay, get started on a plan and give yourself some direction as to what to do next to help your kids on their language journey. 

141: Proactively supporting language learning in the home with Christobel Clark

On this episode of the podcast, I host a consulting call with a Bilingual Avenue member.  We discuss a wide set of activities that parents can implement at home with their kids to add rigor to their children's language learning experience. 

140: Q&A - Should you drop a language if a child has a speech delay?

In this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat about speech and language delays.  Should you worry that speaking more than one language will impact your child's speech and language development?  If you are have any concerns at all, you'll want to tune into this episode.

139: Imperfect Bilingual Parenting

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I interview Nicole Schwarz from Imperfect Families about some of the struggles we have as parents when trying to do the right thing for our children and getting overwhelmed in the process.  Nicole also shares excellent tips for setting personal and parenting goals. 

138: How to raise a bilingual child: The three elements you need for language success

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, we talk about the three must have elements for success on the language journey!  Through my time working with bilingual families I have noticed that those families that are achieving greater success on the journey have 1) set goals, 2) designed a language plan and 3) are surrounded with a supportive community. 

137: Fun & easy strategies to teach complex vocabulary

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I host a consulting call with Angelica Engelmann.  We chat about how to teach grammar, support the learning process of the community language and fun vocabulary instruction.

136: How to raise a bilingual child: Choosing a policy for your family

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I pick up on our podcast series for how to raise a bilingual child.  We talk about the most popular types of language plans to help you identify one that will work for your family.  If you are on the fence about which language policy to use, check out this free resource to help you decide: www.bilingualavenue.com/languagestrategies

128: Q&A - How to introduce chapter books to a bilingual child

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I provide six steps on how bilingual parents can introduce chapter books to their children. This is a follow on from a previous episode (episode 127) where I chatted with one of the members from the Bilingual Avenue Members’ Club on reading strategies for her children.

135: Making the most out of the language explosion with Amber Money

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I host a consulting call with a member of the Bilingual Avenue club, Amber Money.  We chat about how to make the most out of the language explosion, what to do when children mix languages and how to set expectations around language. 

134: How to raise a bilingual child: setting a strong foundation

On this episode of the podcast, I start a three part series on how to raise a bilingual child.  This first part is ALL about setting a strong foundation in your home.  We talk about the importance of increasing exposure, creating a need to use the language and choosing words that are relevant to your child!

133: Baby English with Diana Sampedro

On this episode of the podcast, I speak to Diana Sampedro the author of the book Baby English. Diana is a non-native English speaker raising a bilingual child.  She shares her perspective, tips and strategy. 

132: Q&A - Six tips for flying with kids while learning new vocabulary!

Is traveling with kids in the near future for you? Do you have enough tricks up your sleeve? Traveling can be a great time for a family but there's something about that plane ride that can be somewhat stressful for families especially on long flights.  Check out these ideas to keep you kids entertained while working on language skills!

131: Preparing for the bilingual language journey from the start with Amy Liermann

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat with Amy Liermann about her family's language journey with her baby.  We chat about how to use motherese in Spanish, sticking to the target language when you are out and about in the community and how to flood her son with Spanish when he come home from daycare. 

130: 7 myths about bilingual individuals that may be holding you back!

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I read an excerpt from my ebook The Essential Guide to Raising Happy Bilingual Children debunking seven myths about bilingual individuals.   Are any of these myths holding you back?

129: Vocabulary and grammar tips for non-native speakers with Kerstin Cable

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat with Kerstin Cable from Fluent Language.  She shares very helpful tactics and strategies for memorizing vocabulary and learning about grammar while having fun. 

127: Strategies to improve reading development for bilingual children with Conchi Manresa

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I host a consulting call with Conchi Manresa, a member of the Bilingual Avenue Members’ Club! We talk about how to transition to a One Parent, One Language policy, strategies for helping her children's reading development and how to maximize a visit from an English speaking au pair this summer.