"We acquire a language when we understand messages"- Stephen Krashen.
The way we learned our first language gives us a huge insight into the right way of teaching a second language. The way we speak to babies and the content that we use makes language comprehensible. We don't talk about abstract concepts or about concepts the baby is not yet familiar with. The majority of our conversations with babies are about NOW! What is happening right now, what is the baby touching, what is the baby eating, how does the baby's diaper smell right now. We do anything in our power to make what we are saying comprehensible. Although the baby does not know all the words you are saying, he or she understands the message and slowly begins to make connections to the words. Learning a second language is no different.
The following three strategies will help you provide comprehensible input to your child:
1 talk about real meaningful things. This is where your relationship with your child will really empower you in introducing a second language. Because you have a strong relationship with your child, you know their likes and dislikes, you know their favorite color their favorite animal and favorite foods, you know when they're happy and sad, and you know what lights them up.
2 narrate what the children are doing and what you are doing
If your child is choosing an activity, it's because it's real and meaningful to him or her. Take advantage of this and talk about what he is doing. If you have a limited proficiency in the second-language, don't worry! Use what you know and what you're comfortable with. For example, if your child is playing with cars instead of saying “wow! It looks like your car is going really fast. Where is it going?” You could say “wow! fast car”. You are still providing real and meaningful comprehensible input.
3 use any means possible to make yourself understood(except translating )
this last strategy is probably my favorite mainly because it allows you to be silly and supplement your communication in a creative way. This supplementation may include gestures, drawings, change invoice intonation and volume , and even name dropping of famous cartoon characters . Example: at bilingual family every time we talk about something B I G, we use deep voices and usually open up our arms in a big circle . When we talk about something small we use a high-pitched voice, squint our eyes and put our thumb and finger almost touching.
Low Stress
If you ever took a language class in high school or college I'm sure you can remember the dreaded presentation time. Or the class where the teacher randomly calls on students and expects them to reply with correct grammar and pronunciation. From my personal experience I remember completely ignoring what the professor was saying because I was too busy practicing possible answers in my head and worrying about when I was going to be called upon. Stress actually inhibits language learning. Stephen Krashen calls it the affective filter. If your affective filter is low, meaning if there is low stress, you are more capable of acquiring the language, the input is so interesting and real to you that you almost forget it's in a foreign language . If however your affective filter is high, meaning the interaction is stressful, your brain will be focused on managing the stress and it will not allow you to acquire the language. I have seen this high stress interaction happening a lot, even outside of the classroom.
This concept takes us back to the importance of relationships. If you have a strong relationship with your child, they will want to communicate with you and impress you, that is when production will happen naturally .