 The importance of reading for bilingual multicultural children Raising bilingual kids is nowadays becoming a common family matter, it is easy to find multicultural families around the world these days According to research published on the website Trend, global migration has highly increased since the 1960s People seeking a better life with financial and educational gains, resulting in multicultural families with bilingual or multilingual children The mix of cultures and a family Multicultural families faced the same kind of challenges as any other families in the world However, they also have to deal with other issues related to family or culture traditions, religion, locations, language, among others Deciding what language children should speak is something that parents are concerned the most, particularly when it comes to reading skills Considering that speaking skills may come naturally from being exposed to those languages Why reading is needed? Reading to children has always played an important role in the development of language skills such as vocabulary knowledge and phonological awareness The ability to recognize and work with sounds in spoken language Bilingual children have two vocabularies and two types of phonology to learn, reading is the best tool to expand their knowledge in both languages starting at a very early age Children are surprisingly perceptive and the sooner we start reading to them the better Children are amazingly capable to absorb language knowledge Research shows that they can learn to read and write in two languages at the same time, especially if both have a similar alphabet but not exclusively Parents should not be afraid of introducing texts on both languages The fact is that this will be very beneficial to develop fluency and make kids stronger readers Isn't it enough to speak? People might think that speaking to the kids in two languages is enough for them to be able to learn it properly However, the vocabulary we use every day can become repetitive and limited Reading offers us the possibility to enrich the bilingual kids' vocabularies with words or phrases that they do not hear in normal conversations daily Plus if we provide them with a great selection of different topics that create interest, we ensure to instill a love for reading It is well known that reading improves listening skills, concentration and understanding But there is one more thing in particular that we need to consider the most when it is about reading to multicultural children Reading enhances curiosity, this could be used as a great opportunity for parents to introduce books regarding their native countries and cultural roots Having a clear understanding of where they come from can build up confidence and helping them to understand who they are, even when they are very young, a three years old child, for instance Reading for training other abilities As it is the case of monolingual children, reading develops a child's imagination and creativity, promotes brain development, teaches them to connect with their emotions and grow empathy When a child can put himself or herself into the story and identify with the character, means he or she is beginning to understand and feel empathy by relating to other people's emotions Parents could also use reading as an opportunity to interact and bond with their children, asking them and allowing them to ask questions is important We can encourage the use of the language that it is being used in the book Do you want to teach English abroad? TEFL course It is incredible to think that such a simple and easy activity like reading to our children can bring real benefits to their lives More than half of the world's population speaks two or more languages in the present, the world is becoming more competitive and our children need to be ready for it So we need to highlight the importance of reading in this process Reading to our bilingual children is a great place to start that would lead them to succeed later in life, speak with an ITTT advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad Send us an email or call us toll free at 1-800-490-0531 to speak with an ITTT advisor today