How important is it these days for our kids to be bi or multi lingual? And what age do you start teaching? We are teachning my two year old daughter sign language now with a little spanish and think that it would probably be a good idea to ramp these up as much as possible. What do you think - should we try to get her to grasp english better first? have her just learn new languages once she starts school? or will starting this young on multiple languages help in the long run?

Speaking a second language goes beyond the need to communicate for business sake or survival. I think it speaks to global tolerance of other cultures as well. Definitely get them started as soon as possible. My understanding is that you can't start too young, but in bi-lingual households it is recommended that one person not speak two languages. The English father, the Spanish mother, the German maid, and the Italian teacher, each doing their own part. In lieu of a tutor, just play music and language tapes. And vacation in Rocky Point.

We beleive in multiple languages for our boys. Both of my boys attend French Immersion. School is taught in full French. They get english at home. My oldest who will be in grade 3 speaks, reads, and writes in French and English. We have no regrets. They say little minds pick up languages easier than adults.

Everything that I have read says that getting kids at a young age to begin studying and learning multiple languages gives them the best chance to learn and retain. I have to say, I am always impressed when I meet an adult that knows several languages, so I think it's pretty important to get your kids speaking another language.

If you teach your children multiple languages from the start, it's important to realize, too, that they may start speaking later on in life. Someone else touched on this too - it's important to keep one parent speaking the "other" language as much as possible, while the other uses English. My daughter has actually picked up a lot of Spanish from Dora and Diego (she's 2 1/2) and since I speak Spanish, too, I've been using it around her more now. You can start at any age. If you'd rather they learn to speak first, they can pick up other languages very quickly even as old as 8 or 9.

My husband and I are both hispanic/mexican and believe it or not our kids don't know much spanish.. My 7 yr old hardly understands it at all and my 3 yr old some... My husband speaks mostly spanish he is from mexico but know english well. I am from here but am hispanic/latin and I don't speak alot of spanish not cause I don't know how but I just don't.. I have though started teaching my kids spanish..my 7 yr old isn't interested in it I guess we should have started at an earlier age but my 3 yr old is and she speaks it some now so I know we won't have a problem with her...I think the younger the better obviously by looking at my kids the older one doesn't know and has a hard time catching on and my 3 yr old knows some and doesn't have such a hard time with it... Just My Opinion.

You know how kids always want to know what's going on? If you speak in spanish, they will want to know, and you can tell them that they must learn spanish to get in on the secrets. Or a game - that it will be a secret code language around others that can't speak..... I just bust it out whenever, and we count, and point out el perro y los gatos. And I always ask her tienes hambre in the evening...All the basics? Quien, que, porque, como no....And Dora made the colors happen. Azul! Azul!

My husband does that with them but like I said above my 7 yr old could care less what language he speaks she will just be like what ,huh,what and we will just bust out laughing. My 3 yr old will repeat after us all the time heck even the 2 yr old that I watch and she isn't hispanic will repeat and try to say the words in spanish but my 7 yr old just isn' t interested.. Shell catch on later...I hope.

I think it would be a good idea to teach our children different languages. I am trying to teach my children tongan. Its a beatiful language and not many people know it.

That's cool. Are you Tongan? I'd love to go there sometime. Can't say as I've ever met someone, other than some tongan rugby players, that spoke tongan.

No I am not tongan but I have several friends who are. There is even a tongan on the Cardinals team this year. Cant remember his number. Think its 76. Tongan language is really different from the rest and its pretty neat. My daughter has a boy in her class that is tongan. They have been classmates for the past 2 years.