6 Easy Ways Improve your Child's Language Skills

Last Updated on October 4, 2023 by Bilingual Kidspot

6 Easy Ways to Improve your Child’s language skills

Worried your child isn’t talking enough? Here we go through 6 easy ways to get your child talking more and improve their language skills.

The information in this post can be used for children in any language. Our personal examples are based on raising our bilingual kids and trying to expose them more to the minority language.

Just because we speak to your child in a language, it doesn’t mean that they will automatically start to speak it back, especially when everyone else around them is speaking another language.

Sure they might understand everything we have said, but speaking back takes a lot more effort and sometimes children tend to go with the easier option.

Here are some of the things that helped us improve the minority language:

1. Talking a LOT

When you are alone with your child, make that time count the most, and talk to them constantly. Explain everything you are doing and ask lots of open ended questions that require an explanation.

Instead of asking “Did you have fun at the park today” in which they would answer “yes” or “no”, you could ask “what was your favourite thing you did at the park today?”

Using open ended questions actually has to think of a response and it gets the conversation going.

For younger children who don’t talk yet, listening to you is important, so although they may not be able to talk back, they are taking in everything you are saying so again just narrate what you are doing.

I know it can feel silly sometimes talking so much and getting no response, but the more you talk, the more words they hear on a daily basis and that is the main thing, so just keep talking!

2. Reading books EVERY DAY

Improving the minority language - Bilingual Kidspot

Reading books in the minority language with and to your children daily is extremely important to improve language skills.

It helps them to learn new words that they may otherwise not hear building their vocabulary, and by talking to them about the story, it helps them with their comprehension.

Our nightly routine consists of a good half hour reading bedtime stories. I stagger my kid’s bedtimes so that I can read with each of them separately.

We usually start reading together, but with a toddler it doesn’t always work out so well. For them to get the most out of it, I then take turns with each child reading a couple of books with them before they go to sleep.

Check out our favourite English books for kids here.

3. Singing songs EVERY DAY

Singing songs not only helps to improve the minority language, but it also plays an important role in your child’s development. By exposing young children to singing every day, it can help them to learn different sounds and words, and also help with their memory.

Children in general love singing, and they don’t realise they are learning. My boys have been humming and singing since before they could even talk, even now my little one, who doesn’t usually say more than a 4 word sentence, can sing the whole song of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star word for word by heart.

Listening to music is great too and you can find almost anything you want on YouTube these days, however children learn best with human interaction so wherever possible singing to your child in person is best.

4. TV only in the minority language

Make no mistake, children need actual human interaction to learn a language and TV shouldn’t be used as a substitute for that. However, for children who have some understanding already, it can be quite a useful tool.

If your child already has a good grasp on the majority language, then it makes sense that if you allow them to watch TV, that they do so in the minority language.

Our children don’t watch TV at home at all, however we do have an I-pad with a few of my son’s favourite shows and movies.

As he doesn’t have an afternoon nap, he knows he can have some down time after lunch with his I-pad. Most of what is on there is in English and recently we have also added some Spanish shows for him as he is now learning Spanish as a third language. The only time he watches anything Italian is if he is at his nonna’s house.

5. Video calls and visiting family

If you have the chance, visiting family as often as possible is the best option. Not only does it give your children a chance to bond, but they will be able to reinforce the language by speaking to your children in person.

If you aren’t able to visit, technology is the second best option. It is becoming easier by the day to communicate with loved ones from afar with video calls.

As my family are on the other side of the world, it’s not easy to visit often as the flight is so long. Since having my children, I have tried to make it home every year or two to visit but other than that, we try to have video calls as much as possible.

It’s not the same as being there in person but at least it allows them to hear English from someone else other than me.

6. Being Consistent

Being consistent can be difficult, and it can get quite tiring at times but which ever method you follow make sure that you stick with it.

It may sometimes be tempting to switch to the majority language because it is easier, or your child will respond better, but it is not going to help your child in the long run and there is a chance they may become a passive speaker.

I am quite strict and stick to OPOL (One Person One Language) with rare exceptions. In public or in a group of friends where everyone is speaking Italian, I continue to speak to my boys in English and I expect them to answer me back in English (even if sometimes I get strange looks from people around me). The exception would be if there are other children and I am speaking to all of them, in this case I would translate.

I also try to have my boys talk to each other only in English where possible to reinforce it just a little more and we are getting there.

Hopefully these tips have helped to inspire you!

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“Learning a foreign language, and the culture that goes with it, is one of the most useful things we can do to broaden the empathy and imaginative sympathy and cultural outlook of children.” – Michael Gove

6 Easy Ways to Improve your Child’s language skills