My native language is Spanish and my husband’s is English. We live in the States, but want to make sure our daughter is fully bilingual. I want to use the flash cards method with both languages, but I’m not sure if I should show the flash cards first in one language and immediatly after to show them to her in the second language or I should do it in different days. Also, I’m not sure if I should use the same graphics or I should change them.
The last question would be if I’m doing them back to back ,if I should do three categories each time. This will mean she would be getting six sets three times a day and it may be a little bit too much.
I hope somebody can help me, I have a lot of questions and I do not want to waste any time!
What I have found works best for my kids is doing one of two things
I am trying to teach my kids french but I dont speak it so it is much harder to teach what you dont know evenso they are picking it up amazingly…
word in english, picture, word in french SAME PICTURE
OR
word in english, word in french, picture
It is important when they are little to keep with the same picture so they understand that the word means the same thing in each language. once they get a little older it is ok to change it up if they are to the point that you can show them 5 different planes and they know that they are all planes then sure use multiple pictures.
I prefer to keep everything uniform and avoid the confusion.
Hi Princessclem,
I intend to teach my son Eng and Chinese language. Do u think I should go through the sets in English first, after like eg 30times and I go through the same set but in Chinese wordings another 30 times. Or should I flash pic of say apply, follow by the Eng word then Chinese word. Do u think I need to tell him I am showing u Eng / Chinese words?? Or just flash?
as for French, if I can’t speak or understand the language at all, how do I flash it? just let him look at the pic and show the word without pronouncing it to him? And tell him this is French word for apple?
I have seen a .ppt template that uses the same method of “English word on slide 1 + Arabic word on slide 2 + picture on slide 3” as already mentioned. However, as cool as the templates are, LR is far easier to use and more flexible in shuffling words from the word library into categories and/or playlists - which are a difficult and time consuming to set up in .ppt. In LR you just enter the words into the library/categories and then customize your sets - but in .ppt you have a limited number of words to enter into each set and have to create several .ppt = time consuming.
Have you tried to enter it into LR with Word 1 + Word 2 + picture?
One way I recently discovered to display an English word + Arabic word within one word file is when I was “lovingly fighting” with the Arabic fonts with vowels that are displaying improperly in LR - is that I had previously created jpegs of enlarged Classical Arabic words for .ppt (with highly specialized fonts that cannot be typed like regular Modern Standard Arabic).
For creating a new word in LR - you have to type in a “word file name” and then the “word” as you want it to appear and add your pictures, sounds, effects, etc. So, what I did was type in a file name, the English translation of the Classical Arabic word as “the word”, and attached the Classical Arabic Word jpeg along with my husband’s soundclip for the pronunciation of the Classical Arabic word (in the soundeffects box/picture audio section). The results displayed are "English Word/s translation + Classical Arabic Word as a jpeg/picture (with pronunciation) - this works for me because I do not have actual “pictures” for the words that I am using.
Otherwise I believe you will have to create two library word entries - one with an English word with a picture (but not to be displayed) + another one for your Arabic word with the same picture that WILL display (use the same picture for both word entries so that if you create a different category/the word in either language matches the picture) and then put them in a playlist to show after each other because I believe the random feature will really mess it up.
I am unaware of any other way to show two words + picture - perhaps someone else will know how to do so. I would ask Pupisek or Nhockaday or Shuki or KL, of course.
HI Ayesha,
Thanks for your tips, I am still trying to figure out how to use the LR. I intend to make use of the Eng powerpoints that I downloaded fr this website and make them to Chinese. Of course I will need to pm the owner to ask permission to use their pic. In this case I will save 50% of my time in preparing them. My only problem is that some of the powerpoints that I really like r in slideshow format which i can’t edit or they r using 07 version which I am not sure if I can edit them.
I will start my mini project one or two months later when I am more settle down to my routine.
Hi,
we have a program which show pictures, for example animals, show their names and also tell them in English. Here I can not change anything, I can just tell the same name in Latvian.
And I was very surprised when I was showing to my doughter a ppt file from brillkids, there was fox, both picture and name, and my child (18 months) suddenly said “fox” in English.
So, I hope to take this in a relaxed way. If I show a picture and say its name in Latvian, and at the same it is said also in English, somewhere in the background, may be it will give some benefit.
When we tested Little math, the same happened. I named numerals in Latvian, and at the same time they were named in English. Because at the beginning I did not know how to switch the sound off, and later my doughter demanded that sound.
And I think, for foreign languages the spoken language is a priority. Writing can be tought later because there is no accent in writing
KL was helping me figure out the Arabic fonts display issues that I am having and in the reply, he explained a few ways that LR can be utilized - and I think it will work for two languages + a picture:
Try it and see. We can enter multiple media choices for each word file and then it will play as we want. I hope it helps! because LR is easier than .ppt! more flexible! AND less time consuming! I just have to figure out how to use all the features and variations such as what KL mentioned.
Thanks to everyone for their input. It has been very helpful. I have not bought LR. I just downloaded the LR lite to see how it works.
Based on the information in the website Ayesha gave us, you should not teach your baby a language you do not know, but based on princessclem post her kids are doing very well with their French. So I’m still a little bit confused there.
Princessclem,
When you show them the flashcard, you pronounce the word in English, but what do you do when the french word comes up?
Everyone,
Since all of us are into languages, what do you think about just creating a separate topic so we pick a list of words and each of us creates a slide with that word and its pronunciation in the second language we are teaching our kids? This may help all of us so they have the right pronunciation. Each person could pick which ones they want to use. I’ll love to get your feedback on this idea.
Please understand that the link I provided suggests different methods (with various opinions) on how to teach more than one language to your child.
One opinion is that is difficult to teach a language to your child that you do not know - but it can be done, just not to the same proficiency as if you do know the language. So, please keep the information in it’s proper context. This is why programs such as Little Pim help fill in the gaps - but also because it helps with the actual brain development of the child from 0 - 5/6. I have more details about this written by a linguist (science of language) who specializes in language acquisition - and I will seek her permission to post her thoughts on the issue.
At any rate, what I am doing is I have my husband type the Arabic words and create a corresponding sound clip so that my children hear the proper pronunciation. And we will do the same with couplets/phrases/sentences/books, etc.
I’m sorry I was not clear. I was talking about one of the articles in the website. The one that talks about teaching you kid 4 languages and that is what it states. I did not intent to get the information out of context. That’s why I stated I was still confused about the subject.
Thanks for clarifying about the proficiency, that is what I was wondering about.
Hi Joha,
I can join in if others are interested, I will do the Chinese part.
Hi Ayesha,
Thanks for your link, u have been very helpful. Let me try and get back to u, if I still can’t figure out will pm u, is it alright?
I happened to read somewhere that U have a pair of twin girls? How do u manage your time? U must be very busy!!!
Proficiency in a language is broken in four areas: listening/comprehension + reading/comprehension + spoken/communication + writing/composition.
So you have to determine what level of proficiency in each area that you want for your child - provided they are interested in learning it. Everyone begins by listening/comprehension and then speaking/comprehension and then it moves on to reading and writing.
The Doman/Titzer method’s focus on linking the reading visually to the orally spoken pathways at one time when the child is absorbing anything and everything EASILY and the brain growth rate is phenomenal. It literally changes the brain in a positive way.
More on this from Dr. Titzer’s research that supports Doman’s experiences and assertions (by the way, IAHP does not like to “test” or conduct “research” because it means that some children are not learning and they see it as unfair for those children, just to “prove” that the methods work.)
And then you have to move forward so that the other areas of language acquisition are learned. However, anything that we teach our children when they are 0 - 5 is useful and beneficial for the brain development alone - it does not mean that whatever we teach they will remember. That comes from repitition. So, this is reiterated a lot in Doman/Titzer materials - early childhood brain development and rapid learning is being harnessed for teaching “on purpose” via play.
Also - my schedule is off considerably since I learned about YBCR + Doman method + BrillKids forums! I am fortunate that the girls play with each other and it helps some, and my husband’s family places a very high value on education, coupled with his never ending patience with my less-than-usual cleaning/cooking standards. We both realize that it is a a temporary sacrifice until I overcome the learning curve for LR and creating some materials while using the downloads available here! This is the great benefit of LR - it saves sooo much time compared to .ppt or hand making your materials! I just have to figure it out and then it will be come easier. And then I can get back into my normal schedule with slight adjustments. :yes:
I’m glad to hear that. I just started to learn how this site works. I think I may create a topic to find out what categories people would like to see first and go from there. My baby is 3 and a half months so I’m just starting to work on this.
If you want to teach your baby two languages at the same time using Little Reader and one picture for both languages at the same time, I strongly suggest not to create two word files but only one that would have word in one language and the same word but in another language as one of the pictures (along with the real picture). This way words in both languages would be displayed (if you choose to display all pictures) with the picture and you can still use random playback.
And here is the way how to create “translations” as pictures. Type the translations into Powerpoint, then Save as different formats and choose JPEG and then choose to export ALL slides. This is a very easy way how to save translation words and then attach them to the word file easily and play two languages with one picture at the same time (if you choose to do so).
Saving your translations as a pictures (in jpeg) would also solve some issues you may have with displaying different unnusual fonts in Little Reader. Font saved in jpeg format would still be the same even if LR may not support it yet.
Your welcome - I am glad my comments are of benefit.
I am still learning how to use LR myself and will have to find out, because I am unsure. I only know the suggestions I made earlier because of my dilemma with Arabic fonts + vowels.
In Arabic, the vowels are markings above and below the words, and are usually taught in the beginning for children (and should be taught to adults learning the language also!, but frequently are not?!? :wacko: ) and then once the word is memorized, reading everyday printed materials that is written without the vowels as in Modern Standard Arabic (fus-hah), is easily understood in context because the earlier learning with “vowels that act as training wheels on a tricycle/bicycle”.
For Classical Arabic, as in the Qur’an (Muslim’s Holy Book), the vowel markings are always present - and these are presenting a display issue in LR for me.
Noyaho made many LR Arabic sets without the vowels and it displays fine - but my children are living in a non-Arabic speaking country, and the approach is slightly different. So, for my Arabic LR sets, I am using the vowels in the beginning and then later will not. Also, LR updates will address this issue better than now.
Also, I feel a little more confident now that Pupisek (whom I consider a LR master! :yes: ) has suggested the same as method that I use for Arabic/English words in LR, and KL explained how to use two “pictures” at once in LR that makes teaching two languages via Word 1 + Word 2 + picture easier.
If you need detailed instructions on how I create the .ppt jpegs, I can provide it in steps, if you like. It is very easy because it is repetitive and sounds more difficult than it really is. :rolleyes:
I will try my best. My first suggestion is to go through all of the tutorials that are available from within LR - Lite or Home Basic to learn the basics of LR. Hit the “Home” button on the upper left-hand corner of the program, and then at the bottom left-hand side of the screen you will see the “Start Guide” button - click that and go through the tutorials, FAQ, & Tips and practice what you have learned.
As for the two words + picture, it is as KL and Pupisek described above.
My detailed instructions are for creating .jpegs in .ppt and exporting them. Is this what you are referring to?
