Helping your child develop
ingua

additive bi

The exogamous families page Parenthése

ism

From : ExTeam Manual, Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B., 2008

Here are some ways you can
help your child develop balan-
ced additive bilingualism when
one of your family languages is French
and you live in English-speaking British
Columbia:

<=

a Set a goal: Do you want your child
just fo understand French, or to speak,
read and write if too? Would you like
your child to be able to teach French
to his or her own children, to pass the
language onto the next generation? If
so, your goal is to help your child build
a solid foundation in French before he
or she leaves home.

= Commit: If you’re the French-speaking
parent, always speak French to your
child. Your commitment will make all
the difference. If you’re the non-French-
speaking parent, always support your
spouse in this commitment. After alll,
you're a team!

a Be congruent: Encourage your child
to speak French with you or your French-
speaking spouse always, no matter
where you are or who else is listening.
Bilingualism is something to be proud of
and not hidden away!

m Correct: When you hear mistakes in
either language, repeat your child’s
words in the correct form—feach by
example.

gw Build: Encourage your child to ask
questions, and answer them. Concepts
learned in one language can be frans-
ferred into another language, but you
should make sure your child learns as
many new concepis in French as he
or she does in your family's other lan-
guage. Remember, you're striving for

balance—but also remember that it’s
impossible to have too much French
in your child’s life when he or she is
growing up in an English-speaking so-
ciety.

wu Reinforce: Surround your child with
French music, books, stories, games
and computer software. Play French-
language games as a family. Create
a collection of French rhymes, riddles
and sayings that your child will enjoy
using over and over again, because
youngsters love repetition!

w Be consistent: Establish routines where
you use only French, like when you're
driving somewhere or eating certain
meals or in certain rooms.

wu Speak well: You and other adults are
role models for your child’s language
behaviour. Talk about all sorts of things
with your child (in French if you’re the
French-speaking parent) and speak
your language well. Use the proper

Le guide
I’m with you!
a maintenant
un nouveau

contenu,
un nouveau
look

et un nouveau

FUSION

words in whole, short sentences. Don’t
mix your languages unless you want to
mix up your child!

m Branch out: Show your child that
other people speak French too. He or
she needs to hear the language from
the many different speakers you'll find
in your local francophone community
and elsewhere. Make sure your ex-
tended francophone family uses only
French with your child. Hearing others,
especially adults, soeak French will help
your child build a broader and more
solid language base.

a Support: Focus on your child's pro-
gress in his or her French-language
development; you're helping him or
her build a foundation for a lifetime of
language use.

e Make it fun: Make sure your child has
as much fun in French as he or she does
in the other family language!

Ce livre,
écrit en anglais
par Glen Taylor,
(l’auteur de
I’m with you!)
s’adresse aux
couples composés
d’un parent
francophone et
d’un parent
non francophone.

Pour en savoir plus ou pour commander FUSION, contactez la Fédération des parents
francophones de C.-B. au 604-736-5056 ou sans frais au 1-800-905-5056. Prix : 18$ + frais d’envoi.