Relationships: Giving kids a linguistic challenge

Dear Dinah,

Many books say childhood is the best time to develop linguistic talents. Most of my friends send their children to bilingual kindergartens, which have native English speakers as teachers. However, it seems most children who speak fluent English can’t write good Chinese. Will such an education affect my child’s early-years learning of Chinese? I want my child to master the beauty of Chinese language and literature.

I'm assuming you are Chinese and wishing for your child to learn English. As a parent who has had two children studying at an international (primary English) school and a private (primary Chinese) school, I can definitely tell you that, from first grade, one language will take precedence over the other. If you want your child to be fluent in writing both languages, be prepared to add significant after-school tutoring for the secondary language. Oral conversation is different. If both languages are spoken at home, the child should be fluent in both. If only one language is spoken at home, most likely the child will only be fluent in that one. Chinese writing is especially difficult to master and there are very few international schools that include the curriculum at the level needed for fluency. If Chinese is your primary language, I'd recommend you make regular play dates with English speaking children for your child and watch English language videos on a daily basis.

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