Develop Your Child's Mother Tongue from Home with our Online Heritage Language Classes
Often, as parents living abroad, we think we should concentrate our efforts on the language of the majority.
While we agree that this is important, it is also vital to ensure that prioritising learning the language of the country you live in does not impact or dismiss your mother tongue.
One of the biggest barriers to successful bilingualism is the lack of opportunities for your child to hear and use the language that is not spoken by the majority or in their school.
As parents, investing in the heritage language may well be one of the best contributions that you can make to your child’s future.
At home, you can play a major role in maintaining and developing their first language.
However, we know that this is not always easy.
Normal daily routines can be full of activities, and some of us can struggle to find what we call “the special time” to be in conversation with your child, with no distraction, focused on a single activity in the parent’s language.
This is where we believe our online Mother Tongue Languages classes can add some value and support.
The Benefits of Mother Tongue Language Classes
Enhance your child’s identity
A child’s mother tongue isn’t just a language but a sense of belonging, helping them develop their personal, social and cultural identity. Communicating in different languages has important social inclusion benefits in their early years, allowing your child to communicate both within their families and communities of origin as well as within their existing community, including with peers and teachers.
Reconnect your child to their home country
Fostering your child’s mother tongue can help to preserve their cultural roots and deepen their understanding of their heritage. Not only this but you also make their home country accessible to them. Rather than feeling like outsiders in a place where they cannot connect, they will be able to travel freely someday and engage with the community who live there.
Broaden your child’s linguistic abilities
Research indicates that a strong mother tongue foundation equips children with the skills they need to learn additional languages, allowing them to transfer their understanding of the structure of language to several new languages. Many different skills learned in your child’s mother tongue can be transferred to other languages. For example, the intuitive understanding of grammar that develops when children learn their first language can easily be passed on to other languages
Support your child in developing new skills
Knowing more than one language can help your child develop new perspectives and brings in various social and cultural opportunities. Speaking two languages also helps children develop critical thinking and literary skills and allows them to learn to express themselves in multiple ways. This ability translates in an increased ability to multitask because the brain learns to balance multiple ways of understanding.
Our Online Mother Tongue Language Classes
To respond to the current restrictions, all of our Mother Tongue Language classes can now be enjoyed from the safety and comfort of your home. The following are a list of upcoming Mother Tongue Online Language Classes starting in November 2020.
French
In this unique short course, children will be immersed in the French language while learning about the culture and traditions of Cameroon. Through games and songs, we will talk about stories, about the importance of nature and about the beauty of the African continent.
This course includes 7 lessons starting Saturday 7th November.
Classes are suitable for children aged 5-7 years old.
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Spanish
This group includes children who learned Spanish in Spanish speaking countries and children who learned it in Ireland. The aim of this course is to tackle multidisciplinary topics using the Spanish language, working on oral and written skills.
This course includes 7 lessons starting on Saturday 7th of November
Classes available for children aged 3-12 years old.
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Polish
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European Portuguese
This group includes children who learned Portuguese in Portugal and children who learned it in Ireland. The aim of this course is to tackle multidisciplinary topics using the Portuguese language, working on oral and written skills.
This course includes 7 lessons starting Saturday 7th November.
Classes available for children aged 5-8 years old.
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Italian
This group includes children who learned Italian in Italy and children who learned it in Ireland. The objective of this course is to address multidisciplinary issues using the Italian language, working on oral and written skills as outlined by MIUR in the context of Italian primary school.
This course includes 6 lessons and starts on Saturday 7th of November.
Classes available for children aged 3-14 years old.
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Are these classes suitable for my child?
We understand that before you sign-up you might still have some outstanding queries and so, with this in mind, we have collated a list of frequently asked questions we receive regarding our Mother Tongue Language Classes.
How is the class delivered?
All of our classes are now delivered online via Google Classroom. After payment, you will receive an email with all details needed to join the class. To access Google Classroom you will need to have a Gmail account (a parent’s account will be fine). If you don’t have a Gmail account, don’t worry, you can create one easily and for free here.
Can parents attend the classes?
Absolutely! Our classes provide the perfect opportunity for you to connect with your child in their Mother Tongue.
Can I enrol my children in different classes?
Of course! The more the merrier! If you want to enrol two or more children in different classes, we would ask that you please register each child separately in the correct class.
What is the cancellation policy?
Our courses require a minimum of 4 participants to run. In the event of a course being cancelled, participants will receive a full refund. We will aim to contact you a week in advance if a course is cancelled.
If you have any other questions about the classes listed, please contact us at elena@mothertongues.ie and we will try our very best to assist you.
Browse our classes for children!
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Benefits of your membership
Your membership for parents includes:
Access to the members' area
A virtual learning space where you will find lots of useful videos and resources to help you on your multilingualism journey
free webinars
free entry to selected workshops for parents (Find out more)
Valid for one person.
one free consultation (Find out more)
Phone, Skype or email
free entry to our annual conference
20% discount on all other courses and services
subscription to our monthly newsletter
and dedicated content for members
The membership is valid 1 year from the day of your subscription.
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