We’ve just been featured on Savvyauntie.com! If you don’t already know this site, it’s a great resource for the hip aunts and godmothers out there who are looking for ways to indulge (and in our case, educate!) the little ones in their lives. I was interviewed by Melanie Notkin – the site’s founder and original Savvy Auntie – about the best ways to get kids learning new languages from a young age. So much of language learning happens at home, and helping kids on the road to fluency is very much a family affair.

Melanie and I spoke about how best to engage children (and their families) in a plan to foster a love of languages. We discussed everything from the benefits of speaking a second language to the ways you can best help a child with their learning, even if you don’t live nearby. Enjoy!

Read the whole interview!

Browse the Hebrew series: http://www.littlepim.com/store/hebrew-language-for-kids/

I am proud to be continuing my father’s legacy with Little Pim (Dr. Pimsleur passed away in 1977). In many ways our teaching series is a natural extension of my father’s early work; before he created the Pimsleur Method, he spent many months studying how children learn languages. In fact, he was trying to recreate for adults the ease with which children can acquire second and third languages.

My father, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, and me.

Here are some of the teaching principles shared by Little Pim and the Pimsleur Method as well as an explanation of how they differ:

1. Graduated Interval Recall – One of the key reasons the Pimsleur Method works, is it uses Graduated Interval Recall, first used by my father, in which words you have been taught are brought back to your attention at exactly the right moment before you’re about to forget them. Little Pim also uses a recall method, which is particularly effective with kids since they have a natural love of repetition and keep coming back for more.

2. Immersion – The Pimsleur Method uses total audio immersion, and Little Pim uses both visual and audio immersion. The addition of visuals is integral to Little Pim’s entertainment immersion method. I know as a mother, and it was confirmed by my research, that kids won’t learn unless they’re having fun, so we have brought the fun to the forefront in Little Pim. Making the series’ teacher a loveable panda and including real kids involved in joyous every day activities like blowing bubbles, playing with toys and eating yummy foods, are all part of what keeps little ones entertained. Our focus on immersion is just as central to the Little Pim methodology as it is in the Pimsleur method for adults. Native speakers do all the teaching in our DVDs, through Little Pim the Panda.

3. Core Vocabulary - The Pimsleur Method focuses on teaching commonly used words in order to lead to a comprehensive understanding of a “core vocabulary.” Similarly Little Pim teaches young children a carefully selected 60 words per DVD (180 in the 3-disc series). These are essential words in the language they will be able to use right away and build from, to create a variety of phrases. After all, exposure to language is more than memorizing vocabulary and rote phrases. The 60 words are re-combined to form new sentences, which expands the language experience to include a variety of ways to use words in different daily situations.

Of course, the most important influence of all, was that my father instilled in me a love of language learning and teaching languages. Like my father, I think language learning should be fun, easy, and teach words you can use immediately.

Speaking to Metro Moms in Dallas, TX

As a mom, I am very sensitive to this issue – I know how eager I was for Emmett to speak once he began using a few words at age 18 months, and understand why mothers would be concerned about doing anything to delay speech in their children. There is widespread scientific research that proves that learning and/or exposing your child to a second language at an early age will not cause your child to speak English later or less well; that on the contrary, it is a boon. Yet because people used to think that there could be negative side effects to learning two languages as once, some people continue to think so. The fact is that babies, toddlers and preschoolers are actually able to learn up to three languages at once without confusion. Early foreign language exposure enhances a child’s primary language development, and his or her brain power. Experts have dismissed the idea that bilingualism can be confusing for a young child. “This idea was dramatically reversed in a landmark study by Elizabeth Peal and Wallace Lambert at McGill University in Montreal that showed a general superiority of bilinguals over monolinguals in a wide range of intelligence tests and aspects of school achievement” (Dr. Ellen Bialystok, Professor of Psychology at York University, Canada). Dr. Bialystok has even done studies that show that young children who speak a second language have a cognitive edge over monolingual children.

So go ahead and teach your little one “j’ai soif” or “tengo hambre” with confidence! You will be helping them to achieve a better accent and fluency later on and enhance their social and verbal skills.
To read more about the scientific studies supporting learning two languages go to http://www.littlepim.com/about/what-scientists-say/

During his campaign Obama recognized the importance of children learning second languages as a way of bringing our world closer and making our children more competitive in the global marketplace. Then there is the “global humanplace” which is equally important. Obama himself was raised in several countries and exposed to at least three languages growing up. Below is an excerpt from one of his campaign speeches:

“We should have every child speaking more than one language.” It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is ‘merci beaucoup.’ A foreign language is a powerful tool to becoming more employable in the global economy … and children learn languages easier than adults.
– Barack Obama

In many countries outside the U.S. kids are learning several languages as a matter of course at an early age. While our school system does not introduce a second language until middle school, there are many things we can do to give our children the advantages of two or even three languages at an early age. Playing music, reading books and watching DVDs in other languages are all part of making another language and easy and enjoyable part of our children’s brain food. Visit Helpful Teaching Tips section for tips on making language learning fun for your children.

Maybe you are like many parents who know they want to start their child on a second language early but don’t know which to choose. The first thing you should know is that you can’t go wrong. Whatever language you choose, starting your young child on the path to learning a foreign language paves the way for your child to have a good accent, to have the chance of being fluent, and makes it easier for them to learn whatever language they choose to study later on in life. You are giving them the foundation, and they will reap the benefits for a lifetime. A book that is great for introducing your child to the idea that different languages are spoken around the world is Babar’s World Tour, where the French elephant Babar takes his family on a trip around the world and his children learn to say phrases in all the different languages.

To many people, the obvious answer to “which language?” in the U.S. is Spanish since it is spoken by over 34 million people in our country. However, this should not necessarily be the only determining factor in your choice. I find parents are more likely to reinforce the learning if they choose a second language to which at least one of the parents has some connection. If one of the parents is fluent in the language that is obviously an advantage, but is not necessary for the child to pick it up. Many moms write to tell me how fun it was for them to see that their high school Spanish or French came back to them while watching Little Pim (it beats singing “I love you” with Barney). Your child can always choose a different language later on; at this early phase, it’s most important to give them the framework and a sense that learning and speaking a second language can be fun.

For people who want more concrete answers, here are the “official” Little Pim guidelines for choosing a language:
1) Pick a language you like, perhaps have always wanted to speak (even if it’s not the most practical) and that you will enjoy hearing and practicing with your child.
2) Pick a language that you can reinforce easily through native speaking caretakers and or kids, local or international trips, live music and CDs or language classes.
3) Pick a language your partner/spouse/fellow caretakers agree(s) on and make a plan together for how to bring this language into your home through DVDs, music and in person speaking.
4) If your child is old enough (15 months +), try out the different languages and see which one he or she responds to most.