Very young children will pick up the language in the same way as they learned their mother tongue, naturally and easily. Think of it this way: When a baby is born, it has no idea where in the world it is going to arrive. It’s brain is lovely and flexible, ready to soak up any new language is hears. At about the age of 8-10 months, the baby then starts to “tune in” to the language(s) it hears around him/her. This means that foreign language sounds which do not exist in the mother tongue, start to be “tuned out” ever so gradually. You can read more about this here.

Many experts do agree that there seems to be an ‘optimal’ time period for learning a second language: from birth to three years. In other words, right when a child is learning the first language. The time when his/her mind is still open and flexible.

The latest research released this week backs this up and has been widely reported in the UK press. The Independent newspaper reported last week that "the benefits of growing up in a bilingual home start early and are broader than previously thought, new research shows. At just six months old, infants who are exposed to more than one language have an edge over their monolingual peers." in their article entitled "Bilingual babies benefit from learning faster". 

Similarly the Daily Mail's article "Want your child to be clever? Teach them two languages: Study finds bilingual babies often show signs of having a higher IQ" stated on Friday that "... little ones of parents who speak two languages in front of them from day one get bored of familiar images quicker and tend to prefer observing the novelty. This is a known predictor of better pre-school development, such as high IQ test scores, according to experts."

So what can you do if you want to raise a bilingual child, but only speak one language yourself?  It can be difficult to find the opportunities, however it is also easier for them to learn a second language at this age, so the extra effort will be worth it. If you sign up to our newsletter you will receive our FREE 36-page practical guide on how to introduce your child to a new language even if you do not speak it yourself!

And of course we'd love to see you at one of our classes soon! Not only will you and your child benefit from the language we have loads of fun too. We were recently named by Mother and Baby magazine as one of the Top 12 Baby And Toddler Classes To Try With Your Little One!

Love Angela x
(Lingotot founder, MD and mum to Anna and Ellie, my original Lingotots)

Why should we be bothering with other languages anyway? Everyone speaks English, right?

There are so many benefits to knowing a second language. The most obvious ones spring to mind first; travelling, understanding other cultures, enjoying films, books, music from dif- ferent countries, intercultural understanding etc. Learning additional languages enables learners to engage with people of diverse cultures in ways that recognise differences and create cultural understanding. Language is inseparable from ways of knowing the world and involves connecting, engaging, and interacting with others and negotiating boundaries.

There are many advantages which are less obvious.

It’s also been suggested that bilingual toddlers have better concentration too. According to Dr. James Mason, Columbia University of Development , "Research also proves that young children who learn a language before the age of five tend to have superior reading, writing, analytical and social skills, as well as more extensive vocabularies than their monolingual peers."

Being multilingual is a plus on both college admission applications and job applications as well. Top universities really rate A levels in foreign languages, which appear on university “A lists” of subjects. For example, at Trinity College, Cambridge a whopping 11 of the 25 subjects on their A list are languages.

After your studies you could well earn more money too if you are bilingual. To find and keep valuable bilingual workers, employers are willing to pay larger sums of money. On average, bilingual pay differentials range between 5 and 20 percent per hour more than the position's base rate, according to research. Being bilingual can actually help your health too! Further research shows that the regular use of two languages appears to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.

With all of these benefits available, the question shouldn’t be “why should I learn a second language?”, rather it should be “can I afford not to learn another language?”

BABIES, toddlers and schoolchildren in Glasgow and Stirlingshire will be able to learn new languages to help them become fluent more quickly – thanks to our newest member of the team, Janet.

Youngsters will be able to speak in French and Spanish as they learn English to help them get to grips with languages more easily.

Janet Phillips is setting up the lessons after buying a franchise from UK-wide company Lingotot earlier this year.

She hopes the lessons will help broaden opportunities for Scottish children, and has seen how easily younger children learn languages.

“I was looking after my four-year-old grandson, Archie, and he was watching a CBBC programme called The Lingo Show,” said the mum-of-two.

“I know that the earlier children learn new languages the easier they pick it up, so watching Archie made me think about setting up a business to teach children languages.”

Janet, a self-employed HR consultant since 1993, gained a masters degree in translating and interpretation and was only too aware of how being able to speak other languages opened doors of opportunity.

After 20 years being a consultant, Janet wanted to a new opportunity herself, so started looking into establishing her own business.

She said: “I worked a lot at home and it is a lonely job. I wanted to do something where I got to meet new people and when I started researching, I found the Lingotot website.

“The branding is so good and the more I looked at the product the more I saw just how well thought out it was. So, I decided to make a call to find out more, because it would be much quicker than having to set everything up from scratch yourself.”

Within a couple of months, Janet had bought the franchise covering Glasgow West and North Helensbrough.

She is now setting up local sessions and will also be offering Lingotot lessons to schools as they gear up for introducing languages to lessons.

Janet said: “The Scottish Government has set up a working group actively looking into foreign modern languages and want to young children to be introduced to two languages by 2020.

“Many schools may not have teachers who will be able to provide the lessons, which is where they can bring Lingotot into school to do that for them.”

Lingotot already links with Key Stages 1 and 2 in England, and its sessions are already being used in schools there.

The business was set up by mum-of-two Angela Sterling, who was taking time out from teaching after the birth of her first daughter.

Teachers and parents were so impressed with the sessions they asked her to introduce books and CDs so that lessons could continue at home.

Angela said: “We are delighted to welcome Janet to Lingotot, especially as she is the first franchisee in Scotland. The sessions she will manage will help toddlers get to grips with language earlier and help improve their future prospects.”

For more details about Lingotot sessions, contact Janet by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 0845 680 8148.

Español (Spanish) also called Castellano (Castilian) is a  Romance language that originated in Castile, in Spain. There are approximately 407 million people speaking Spanish as a native language, making it the second-most-spoken language by number of native speakers after Mandarin (China’s varieties or dialects).

Very young children have an amazing ability to aquire language. Children learn to speak during the first two years of life. In those 24 months, the baby is able to identify and name objects. After 2 years, children begin to form short sentences and simple questions can gradually advancing in the knowledge of the language to be able to construct more complicated, longer sentences. Their speech up to five years old will be similar to adults but with a much smaller vocabulary.

But how can you help build up their knowledge? To start off with, a small game can help identify the letters in Spanish and so begin to form short words, use all the resources available to them as videos on YouTube, the library nearest to your house ask for a book that can show you the basic introduce to the Spanish for little ones or borrow a basic DVD how to learn Spanish, etc.. There are many resources, at the beginning should not be frustrating for parents, the advantage is that not only the child will begin to learn the parents too.

Note from the Editor: Don't forget that Lingotot classes support your child by helping them learn a second language in a very natural and interactive way. We give parents lots of support too so you can learn together!

Celebrate Chinese New Year 2013 by singing along to one of our fantastic Mandarin karaoke songs! "If you're Happy and You Know it". Singing is a great way of learning a language with your little ones.

This week it was reported that not enough UK schools are offering lessons in Mandarin Chinese, putting the country’s economic recovery at risk. Research conducted by the British Council and HSBC said the number of schools offering the language was ‘stagnant at best’ You can read more here

Did you know that Lingotot offers Mandarin classes in schools, nurseries and community centres from children aged 0-11? Contact us to find a class near you or to recommend your child's school to us.

Many highly qualified linguists toy with the idea of completing a PGCE and becoming a teacher of MFL, yet they worry about a number of issues: the cost of the course; more time away from employment to study; no guarantee of a job at the end of the course; fierce competition for teaching jobs; horror stories about paperwork, verbal abuse towards teachers and general poor behaviour in schools.

I trained as a teacher and taught in secondary, middle and primary schools in the UK and overseas before founding Lingotot. I LOVED teaching, especially the more challenging classes. Ask all my family, friends and ex-colleagues - I was about the most enthusiastic and dedicated teacher you could get! I never thought in a million years I would give up teaching in a "proper" classroom.

But then I had two little babies and everything changed. So I started my little Lingotot classes as a way to keep teaching and earn some extra money. I wasn't prepared for many things when I set sail down the self-employment route. I didn't expect the classes to be so successful, I certainly didn't expect to love the mechanics of running my own business. But the biggest surprise was that I fell totally and completely out of love of traditional classroom teaching. I do miss the pupils (well most of them!) but I certainly don't miss the politics, paperwork and power games. Oh yes, and the marking!

Instead I have a job I love, teaching really fun and relevant lessons to young children. I get to share that with their parents too, it's a lovely family affair. When I go into a school to teach, the children are excited and look forward to their very interactive classes.

Aside from the teaching I get to set my own timetable and work the hours I want to, meaning I never miss a nativity play. Don't want to work on Mondays? No problem!

So I refer back to my opening point. If you're a graduate (or maybe you're not but you speak another language fluently), why would you spend £9,000 for a year of hard graft doing a PGCE, plus all of your living costs for that year, with no guaranteed job at the end of it (and even if you get one the NQT year is even worse!)? You could come and join Lingotot as a franchisee instead. You get to teach immediately with no daft targets, marking or demanding headteacher. The fee is half the cost of a PGCE, you get to start earning straight away, you choose when and where you want to work AND your business becomes a valuable asset you can keep running or eventually sell on.

Would you like to find out more or do you know someone who might be interested? Take a look at www.lingototfranchise.co.uk and start exploring the possibility of running your own childrens language business now.

Angela, MD of Lingotot Ltd and happy mum to two little girls.

1. Effective and Fun. Language learning at school usually revolves around sitting in chairs and teachers providing grammar and structures for children to use. Our programme has been developed to focus on what kids like to do and then to do these activities in another language, with plenty of repetition and structure.

2. Learning through Play. Play is at the heart of Lingotot sessions. Babies and young children learn, grow and have fun through play. Lingotot play sessions help them understand the world and other cultures. Singing songs, reading together and having fun with friends gives them a head start to develop socially and emotionally.

3. English is Not Enough. Our global community means it is vital to be able to communicate with other communities around the world.

4. Early is Better. If it’s introduced early and well, children pick up a second language naturally, just like they learn their mother tongue, instead of learning it in “second language” mode like we do as adults - constantly translating from one language to another in our heads!

5. All Round Educational Boost. Research suggests that children who know two languages can gain an academic and social advantage over those who speak only one. Children have an amazing ability to learn language and this happens best when it is interactive, engaging, child-centered.

6. Excellent Communication Skills.  Speaking and Listening are the cornerstone to literacy development. A broad and rich language curriculum ensures such skills are developed, leading to a good start in phonic work. In fact, Lingotot can introduce young learners to foreign- language letter sounds!

7. Increased Self-Esteem.  Children love being able to communicate in another language. Our classes encourage talking, imitating, play-acting and sharing their language skills right from the first lesson. Children and adults alike make lots of new like-minded friends too!

8. Prepare Them for the Future. Competence in foreign languages is increasingly valued by universities. Languages become compulsory in English primary schools in 2014 and will form part of the new EBaac at secondary school level.

9. Acquire a Lifelong Advantage. Learning another language offers a lifetime of possibilities and adventure. In later life, knowing another language not only helps you make friends, finding jobs etc, it can also help stave off illnesses such as Alzheimer’s

10. Learn a Language Together! Lingotot sessions benefit the whole family. Parents and children learn, play and bond together. The sessions are designed for you to attend with your child so that you can be fully engaged with their learning and carry on using new language together at home.

2012 was an eventful year for all of us! We’ve witnessed a man jumping from the edge of space, athletes from across the world descend on London for the Olympics, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, more shootings in America, the death of Whitney Houston, yet more mental weather and we all survived the predicted end of the world!

It’s also been a fantastic year here at Lingotot, so good in fact I had to have a cup of coffee  and a little sit down when I wrote a list of everything we’ve done, it’s absolutely loads. I've written a little bit about our achievements under the photos below.

We know that our success is thanks to wonderful and enthusiastic parents, delightful little Lingotots, nurseries and schools. We couldn’t do the job we love so much without you! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you soooo much for your continued support and wish you all the best for a fantastic 2013.

Angela
Lingotot Founder

September Growth

September was a super busy time for us with the schools starting a new academic year, especially after we were endorsed by some local LEAs and recommended to their primary schools. This was the month we expanded further and welcomed Katherine and Abigail on board as franchisees. They’re both doing a fantastic job, especially as neither of came from a teaching background, but they do share an absolute passion for languages for young children. In September we also took on a mini army of tutors to help deliver our classes.

Renze Kramer pictured with his wife and twin son & daughter. Here he shares his experiences of raising them in a tri-lingual environment: English, Dutch and German. Renze is passionate about languages which he loves to share through his website, Babeltots, which supplies multilingual toys. Don't forget to ask your Lingotot practitioner for our special discount code to use on the Babeltots website!

My wife and I are both born and raised with just one language - my wife is from Austria and I am Dutch. We met in London, got married in Ealing and we have 3 year-old boy/girl twins.

When our twins were born, we made the conscious decision that the twins should learn both our native languages as well as the 'local language' (English). We felt, that apart from being part of our culture, the importance of our native languages is that our siblings have young children too and we wanted to ensure that the twins would be able to communicate with their cousins and grandparents. We live in the UK so there was never any doubt that the local language would also become an important part of their language repertoire. We speak English to each other and everything outside the front door is in English :)

As we have learned foreign languages at school, due to lack of personal experience, we had to read up on how to raise children with multiple languages. The most obvious choice for us was the One Parent One Language (OPOL) approach. In the process, we learned that many children who learn more than one language start speaking slightly later compared to children who are raised in one language. We have also learned that many twins also have a tendency to start speaking a bit later compared to singletons. One possible reason for this is that they have such a strong bond or connection, that they don't need words to communicate with each other - therefore taking away any 'sense of urgency' to start speaking the parents' language.

Although inexperienced, we were convinced our approach was right for us but, as time went by, there have been instances where others started to question if we were doing the right thing for our kids. Around Christmas last year, some people started suggesting that maybe we should consider dropping one of the languages as the twins were over 2 years old and only starting to mumble their first words. They were all really focused on the vocal part of their own language and didn't realise that the children understood every instruction given to them, irrespective of the language it was delivered in, Dutch, English or German. This was also when we came across a funny 'problem'. When we looked at pictures with the children and they would name something, e.g. a tree, but they call it a 'Baum' (German) when they talk to me, then technically it's incorrect, as they should use the Dutch word instead. However, it's not really incorrect, because they've learned the German word and that should be emphasised as being correct - even by the 'wrong' parent. We found it very useful to say: 'Yes, that's what mummy calls it. Daddy calls it... and your friends call it...'.

Since Christmas last year, so many things have happened. The twin have made up so much ground and are currently speaking multiple word sentences using a wide variety of words in all three languages. They confidently switch languages between talking to mummy and daddy and are perfectly happy to 'translate'.  If I ask them "Can you please ask mummy ..... " (in Dutch), they run off towards mummy shouting ... uuhhh ... repeating my instruction in German.

They are in pre-school now where their English vocabulary is booming. It is very funny to see how they are now interacting as they use all three languages. Which language is largely determined by what they are doing at the time. Some games they do mostly with mummy and will be done in German, some puzzles are done with Daddy and will be 'discussed' in Dutch whereas some toys are associated with pre-school so they talk English.

I would love to say we knew exactly what we were doing these last few years. We believed in what we were doing and stuck to it. Some of our biggest challenges were to overcome other people's misconceptions and to figure out which language the children were trying to use. Now, their speech is becoming better, we can distinguish the language easier (very helpful), but ... we are still fluently ignored in all 3 languages.

Babies and young children are like sponges for language learning. They are programmed to pick up any language they hear. This makes a great deal of sense. Babies all over the world are ‘citizens of the world.’ They can discriminate all the sounds of all languages, no matter what country they're born into. They already start to "tune in" to the language they hear more frequently from about 9 months of age. However, their learning power remains high until about the age of seven - take a look at the graph on the left. Michael Gove really needs to consider his plans to make MFL compulsory AFTER age seven!

Please watch this video to find out just how fantastic children and babies are at language learning! Patricia Kuhl is co-director of the Institute for Brain and Learning Sciences at the University of Washington. She's internationally recognized for her research on early language and brain development, and studies that show how young children learn. Kuhl’s work has played a major role in demonstrating how early exposure to language alters the brain. It has implications for critical periods in development, for bilingual education and reading readiness, for developmental disabilities involving language, and for research on computer understanding of speech.