What is Mother Tongues?
Mother Tongues is a not for profit organization aimed at promoting multilingualism in Ireland. We work with schools, families, community groups and artists through a range of activities that allow children to experience their mother tongue in new and exciting ways outside the home environment.
What we do
Our courses and talks on bilingualism are based on the latest research and on many years of combined experience of raising and educating bilingual children. We tailor content to the needs and interests of the group and we give parents plenty of time to ask questions and discuss their own circumstances. Our goal is to give parents practical advice that they can put into practice.
For parents who want to devise a plan for their family or who feel that they need advice tailored to their specific needs we offer a dedicated consultancy service.
An expert will be at hand to develop and sustain a language strategy in collaboration with the family.
We offer a range of short courses and CPDs for teachers and early childhood educators on bilingual language development. These courses are tailored to the needs of each group and they equip participants with the skills needed to support language development and to advise parents.
Our schools programme Language Explorers is designed to give all children the opportunity to learn about many different languages. Through interactive games, art making, singing, storytelling and story writing, children become aware of their own language abilities and learn something new about each other and about the people who live in their local communities.
Our creative projects connect communities through the use of a shared language to celebrate the diversity of languages spoken in Ireland. The Mother Tongues Festival offers audiences an opportunity to be immersed in a multilingual experience while enjoying a varied and engaging artistic programme for all ages. Our festival is funded by the Arts Council and South Dublin County Council.
Mother Tongues Figures
parents attended our talks
people took part in our creative programmes
Our clients
Check out our Testimonials
I got some great tips on raising my 17 month old boy with German whilst living in Ireland, and it also helped me manage expectations in terms of what is realistic at what age and what is not. He is now pointing out animals in German - I couldn't be happier.
Our partners
