To think that children who watch cbeebies are far too young to be 'learning' a different language?

[Jane04]

I just don't understand it, My nearly 2 YO DS isn't talking properly yet and the occasions when he does watch TV there are program's on there which teach him different languages.

I don't understand it

[FondantNancy]

DD is two and happily moves between Spanish, French and English. It's a bit mixed up at the moment but as she grows up she'll get better. I'm pretty sure it's meant to be good for their brain development, certainly won't harm them. Learning another language should be seem as natural and normal, not something they should learn from books at GCSE level (or whatever GCSE is called these days!)

[WestieMamma]

I had never thought about it that way, of course there are families who are bilingual.

Yes okay, IABU

Eh? You do realise this is AIBU don't you? You're not supposed to accept that you're being unreasonable.

[Lottapianos]

WestieMamma, that sounds great - his first language will be English and he will develop Swedish as a second language. Being bilingual is normal, as other posters have said, and is actually a huge advantage for language learning in general.

Like Nom said, it depends what you want from a TV program. TV is never ever going to be a substitute for interaction with another person, but for fun and if the child is interested, why not?!

[drivinmecrazy]

It's not the vocab they necessarily benefit from but the sounds of a second or third language. if they have some exposure to another language at such a young age they certainly do benefit in terms of accenting and rhythm of language when they come to learn more formally.

Its very sad that many parents in the UK share this negativity to languages. Wait until a child starts secondary to teach another language and it's too late. Casual immersion at a really young age is such a gift. don't expect your child to become fluent through these programmes but let them enjoy learning new sounds.

Long gone are the days that the rest of the world spoke English

[CecilyP]

Totally agree with you, megsmouse. To learn a language, you need interaction, so to learn a second language from a parent is great. To attempt to teach it via a TV programme - not to great.

[Buzzardbird]

Took dd to cuba when she was three and she was fluent enough in Spanish to order the drinks, you can't beat that kind of education! .
She loves languages and speaks a bit if French, Spanish, Punjabi and mandarin. Cbeebies sparked that interest and I am glad.
just need to sort out her Greek for oozo ordering and we are away!

[Blu]

YABU
Even if children learn something of a language they will never use, the actual act of learning another language impoves their cognitive understanding of what language is, how it fucnctions and improves the learning of the first language.

[FrenchJunebug]

YABU

my 2-year old has been learning French and English since he was born! The sooner the better.

[LadyBryan]

I'm English, my H is English. We live in England. I've been speaking French to my daughter since she was born.

Never too young!

[morethanpotatoprints]

Ceebeebies isn't just for 2 year olds its for pre school.
In terms of language a 3 year old could start saying basic words, which is what you would find on these programmes.
My dd was really into Dora The Explorer and although not fluent, still loves Spanish and has chosen this as her preference for language.

[lookout]

What drivin said - the exposure to a range of sounds and different language rhythms is priceless at this age. In fact there is even some evidence to suggest it makes for more intelligent children :-)

[ouryve]

Some 2 year olds do speak two langauges.

DS1 has always been fascinated by other languages - and even DS2, who is non-verbal at 7, understands the counting in French on his Fix The Mix toy.

[nannynewo]

My children will be brought up learning both Welsh and English. It is important that they learn both languages as early as possible because their brains are like sponges. The more they learn the better IMO.

[Squitten]

My kids love The Bloody Irritating Lingo Show on CBeebies. They are particularly obsessed with the Urdu ones for some reason so my pre-schooler has picked up a few words and my toddler just likes the song.

Little kids are the in the most linguistically fluid time of their life and can easily become bilingual if it's in their home so YABU

[TheMagicKeyCanFuckOff]

My chikdren are fluent English and Swedish speakers, and have been from a young age- first language Swedish (mine) and second language English (cos I knew I was moving in a year or so- now we live here, but are moving back to Sweden) and near fluent in Urdu (their friends and relatives). Never too early to get them used to different sounds.

[Whothefuckfarted]

What IRCL said.

[2beornot]

Slightly different stance tho.


How can I expose my dd to new languages when her DF and I only speak English? She can count in French but that's pretty much my limit (although I was quite good at German once upon a time).

[FreshCucumber]

Well my 2 dcs have started to learn another language from birth.
And a friend of mine had her dcs starting to learn a 3rd and 4th language when they were 2~3yo.

Perfectly OK in my book. That's what children who are bilingual/trilingual do.

I wouldn't expect any child to learn a language like this but if they do learn to recognize the sounds in the language (that aren't present in english) then it will be all good for her/him. That's the time when they can learn. Anything after 3~4yo is too late, hence the fact you can have people who are fluent in another language but still have a strong accent.

[EhricLovesTeamQhuay]

Oi! I was going to come and tell you ywbu but you already admitted it. No fair!

[greenhill]

Well done jane04, you were very gracious to change your mind so quickly

As well as the bilingual / trilingual aspect that lots of families experience and that others have mentioned; surely children sometimes listen to voices on the street and wonder what people are saying, if it is in another language. It can be nice to have the basics explained and have your curiosity satisfied.

My DC both learnt Makaton from Something Special, even though there wasn't a 'real need' for it. They really enjoyed communicating in ways other than merely in English.

Especially when young, it is always good to open your mind, rather than close it.

[TheFallenNinja]

I'm trying to learn French so we usually have a French talk radio station on most afternoons. DD is only 8 months but I think it helpful to tune into the syntax and rhythm.

[Booboostoo]

The ability to hear and recognise specific sounds is set by 12 months, so the more babies hear the better. The ability to understand languages comes before speaking and can involve more than one languages. DD is just over 2yo and understands English, French and Greek. She does not speak much and her words are either made up ('meee' for cat), English, French or Greek.

[ImNotBloody14]

why are they too young? they learn English (i'm guessing if you are watching Cbeebies) from birth, why not another language?

my dcs are bilingual- ds2 has been since first started talking as he was raised around both languages.

[maddening]

The more you titillate the language receptors before they are 5 the better. This is the period that these receptors develop - for example if a child is never taught language the brain starts destroying these receptors as they aren't needed so if no language learning has started by 4-5 then the ability to learn is diminished. To the same end - excercise these receptors now helps brain development as far as language is concerned - just hearing the sounds helps.