Being bilingual is a special gift, but it’s not a rarity. Did you know that over 60% of people in the world are bilingual? Among Americans, though, that rate is only 25%. Bilingualism brings very definite benefits: cognitive abilities such as creativity and problem solving skills; cultural awareness and sensitivity; and employment opportunities. If you are homeschooling a bilingual child or would like to introduce a bilingual environment, there are some things you should keep in mind.

First, be absolutely sure that you are educating towards a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing for at least one language. That doesn’t necessarily have to be English, but don’t make the mistake of letting your children have only a surface understanding of two different languages.

Sometimes bilingual children never get a firm foundation in either language. Although they sound fluent when it comes to oral conversation, they don’t have the deeper understanding to enable them to read and write at advanced levels in any language. This lack of advanced fluency in a base language will be a huge academic handicap. So make sure to choose one foundational language to deliver all of your primary instruction (math, science, history, and language). Then you can add on studies in the second language.

In my family’s particular situation, English is our mother tongue, and Mandarin is our second language. We live in a Chinese speaking environment where both Mandarin and a local language are spoken. Because we have chosen to use English as our foundational language, all homeschooling is done in English. We speak English among ourselves at home and invite native English speakers over to visit. English books and audio recordings are plentiful. We still read aloud to our ten year old daughter, especially choosing books that are a bit hard for her to understand on her own but are comprehensible when read aloud. Just because we value bilingualism doesn’t mean that we lessen the importance of an English-rich environment.

Although you want to develop a high fluency in your base language, you should not fall to the other extreme and be fearful of mixing languages. It’s perfectly normal and healthy to switch back and forth between the two languages while conversing or while studying. For example, if your child is narrating back a reading passage in English and switches briefly to the second language for a key word or phrase, allow that. Later you may want to share how best to express that same idea in English, but don’t devalue the child’s narration because it was presented in a mix of two languages. Actually, this ability to mix language is one of the first signs of bilingual fluency. So don’t be afraid to inject some second language vocabulary into your homeschool lessons. Sometimes explaining a concept in another language gives a new perspective and helps with comprehension.

Here are some practical ways that we have encouraged healthy bilingualism in our family and homeschool:

• When we are among Chinese friends and in public, we use Chinese.
• Our daughter takes extracurricular classes such as piano and art in Chinese.
• We have invited a native speaker to teach Chinese to our daughter. During these lessons, the teacher reads living books in Chinese and has my daughter narrate back in Chinese. That gives them many natural opportunities to work on new vocabulary. Sometimes I select a homeschool topic and ask the Chinese teacher to discuss it with my daughter. This works especially well when there is a hands-on element. For example, when we studied magnetism, I left the magnets out for the teacher. As they played with them, she used the correct vocabulary in Chinese – words like repel, attract, metal, aluminum, etc.
• My husband and I serve as models. We both have taken private Chinese lessons and enjoy studying in our free time. I take art lessons in Chinese.
• We correct one another in grace. When our Chinese is wrong, our daughter lovingly tells us. And when her English phrasing is a bit odd, we also give her tips, “Usually we would say it this way…” We don’t use shame or belittling comments, but instead we foster an encouraging environment where experimentation with language is welcome.
• We inject lots of Chinese phrases and words even as we speak English.
• We encourage friendships with local people, even those who speak the local dialect and cannot speak Mandarin. We allow colloquial expressions but make sure that our daughter understands what is formal Mandarin and what is slang.
• We buy Chinese books and movies.

As you experiment with bilingual learning, you will find what works and doesn’t work for your particular children and family situation. There are very few hard and fast rules, so don’t be afraid of getting it wrong. Instead, be assured that encouraging bilingualism is a huge asset in your child’s education.

Jimmie is a former public school teacher turned homeschooling stay-at-home-mom. A sense of humor, faith, and creativity keep her “pressing on” in her unique situation — living and traveling abroad with an only child in a bilingual environment. Visit her blog at Jimmie’s Collage.