Language Spoken At Home

[jumbo2]

My wife and 2 kids are still living in Thailand,Im in Hong Kong working.I get back to Thailand nearly every weekend to see them.My eldest,2.5yrs old has been going to an english speaking nursery for the last few months.He is speaking alot of thai these days but very little english.He seems to understand what I'm saying when I speak to him and does string the odd sentence together.I am a little concerned tho that his english is not as advanced as his Thai.This im sure is due to me not being at home during the week.Am I being to overly worried about his delvelopment ,or when he starts kindergarten will this become less and less of a problem.I will be speaking to his teacher about this on friday.Am I worrying to much as he's at such a young age? Will his english pick up? Any advice is appreciated

[easy_jim]

2.5 years is still early to worry about bi-lingual skills. If he is speaking a lot of Thai and a little English at this age, it is not a bad start. My little boy is now 4. When he was 2 1/2 he spoke mostly English and very little Thai. He started at a Thai school when he was 3 1/2 and he is now quite comfortable in both languages.

It is common that one language will develop quicker than the other. If you are only seeing him at weekends then it is natural that English will be the one that comes slower but it will still be plenty for him to become fluent as he grows olders, especially if he is also at an English speaking nursery. Just make sure you spend plenty of time speaking to him when you are there and one of the best things you can do is find time to read children's books with him.

[VitalGirl]

My wife and 2 kids are still living in Thailand,Im in Hong Kong working.I get back to Thailand nearly every weekend to see them.My eldest,2.5yrs old has been going to an english speaking nursery for the last few months.He is speaking alot of thai these days but very little english.He seems to understand what I'm saying when I speak to him and does string the odd sentence together.I am a little concerned tho that his english is not as advanced as his Thai.This im sure is due to me not being at home during the week.Am I being to overly worried about his delvelopment ,or when he starts kindergarten will this become less and less of a problem.I will be speaking to his teacher about this on friday.Am I worrying to much as he's at such a young age? Will his english pick up? Any advice is appreciated

Our little girl (Thai father, farang Mum) spoke 95% Thai till we put her in a good bilingual nursery school when she turned 3 - I was worried then about her lack of English and had the same problem - she acknowledged me and clearly understood the English but always chose to answer in Thai. Since she's been in half days at the nursery school, the problem has reversed! She speaks English by choice (albeit with a cute Thai accent) and I'm worried about her Thai language development - all her writing is in English and she NEVER practices writing Thai unless I push her. Having spoken to the school recently after completing her first (not full) term, I'm convinced it comes down to the teachers and example - and what the teachers believe the kids can do. Somehow the Thai teachers think English is somehow better and focus on that - they over-emphasize the need to learn English and also don't believe 3 year old are ready to really write or read yet (how wrong they are in our case!). Also have to say that the standard of the western teachers at the nursery school is way higher than that of their Thai colleagues. Slowly I believe it will level out - as will your situation. He's not yet 3 so give him time. Talk to the school.... get more bi-lingual books and puzzles at home... get a maid/nanny who can speak English and make sure she does sometimes... regularly use both languages yourself and he'll work it out in time. I nearly always say things in both languages and that strategy is working well - she knows clearly what things are called and what they mean in both languages and I also tell her "this is how we say it in Thai/English". Good luck!