3 Languages For Kids

[Nepal4me]

I'm native English speaking, my wife is Thai. I speak only English to my kids, my wife speaks only Thai to them. They understand both perfectly and speak only English to me and only Thai to my wife. They are just turning 3 and 5 years of age and we don't want to wait too long to add Mandarin language into their lives and brains.

They go to an international school now, where only English is spoken.

Does anybody have any good ideas about how to get Mandarin instruction and exposure?

Any other thoughts on 3rd language aquisition are welcome.

[Gigabyte]

Hi,

I have a related experience. I'm native French speaking and my wife was Filipino native. She moved to Canada when our daughter was still very young (5 month old) and by the time our daughter was 4, she could already speak 3 languages at a very good level without mixing them.

The trick I think (and that worked) is to immerse and associate a language with an environment. At home we spkoke only English and watched mostly English TV, the only exception was when my parents visited us, there were inevitably a few French conversations here and there, but the rule was to speak English to our daughter. At that time, my parents were also babysitting our daughter during the week and at my parents place, it was all French. When our daughter was with her mother visiting Friends in the Filipino community, they of course spoke Filipino and that's where our daughter got her mother languages. However it was not until our daughter and her mother went for a long visit in the Philippines (3-4 months I think) that she really mastered Filipino, her third language.

One day later when we were at home, and I still remember the smile on my daughter face, she clearly understood that her mother and her father didn't speak the same language even when we spoke English together. My daughter started to translate English conversations between me and my wife; she would translated English to French to me to tell me what my wife just said to me in English, and she would translate to Filipino to her mother what I just said to her in English.

Later that summer, our daughter started playing with her new friend, who was from a South American immigrant family. Two weeks later she knew more Spanish than me with a conversational course taken in high school.

Those little creatures (kids) are truly learning sponge given the correct environment and motivation. And make sure they use the aquired skills or else they lose it (my daughter moved back to the Philippines when she was 7; she is now 18 and can't speak French anymore).

Just my story and couple of advises...

[Nepal4me]

Hi Gigabyte,

Great story. You have the advantage of instilling 3 languages. My French friend here in Bangkok's kids speak French, English and Thai natively. They are 6 and 10 now.

We can't provide a native environment for a 3rd language so I'm looking for a place/way to get Mandarin exposure while they are still very young and their minds are still open to new language aquisition.

[Nepal4me]

No parents/teachers out there that can provide suggestions on where to get Mandarin lessons for children???

[singa-traz]

It looks to me there are many Mandarin school opening everywhere.

In my street (around Bangna), there is at least 3 schools that I know (and maybe more).

Look at the obvious place ... around existing schools

My kids go there twice a week: 2 hours / week

I'm also interested to know how and where I could expose them more to Mandarin (beside the school).

[beano2274]

How about using Chinese students that are studying here, most of them have already mastered Thai and English, just invite them round to play with the kids but only to use Mandarin.

I know loads of Chinese students who would love the opportunity to earn a little extra cash.

[punuruthan]

Hey i am glad i am getting good and more information of Thailand .....

I am very glad

[jazzbo]

Google <Thai Chinese School Bangkok > ... there may also be several that do not maintain the international credential and would be less expensive... my GF's almost 4 year old attends one outside BKK and learns words (for now) in English, Mandarin, and Japanese...