Author Jennifer Manriquez is the mom of two and founder of The Bilingual Fun Company, a language education company teaching Spanish to children with interactive classes and educational products. www.bilingualfun.com

You want the best for your child and you know being bilingual is an exceptional benefit for them. But how do you make language learning fun and effective for young children? The answer is easier than you may realize. By incorporating fun, creative, and relevant activities to your children’s daily lives, the language learning will happen naturally.

As a mom of bilingual children, and an educator of many, I use my personal and professional experience to teach Spanish to children. Whether you are a parent fluent in a second language, or perhaps merely learning yourself, there are many ways you can enhance your development. Research continually shows the benefits of learning multiple ages at a young age, when the brain is pliable and languages are easily absorbed. Check your local community class listings and look for language classes for children. If you cannot participate in classes, check your local library’s multicultural children’s section. Many have a large variety of children’s books, music, and computer games in the target language.

At home reinforcement is very important for your child’s language development. With that in mind, here are few easy tips that you can do at home to get your children involved and speaking:
• sorting favorite toys by color and number
• dressing dolls or stuffed animals for clothing reinforcement
• sing and dance using commands and numbers
• play ‘Simon Says’ while practicing body parts
• play “I Spy” for color reinforcement.

The ideas really are endless. Just remember these ingredients: fun, repetition, and relevancy, and you will be amazed at your child’s bilingual development!