Tips on starting a language playgroup for toddlers

[SqueezyDiva]

I am the english parent of half-Norwegian children aged 5 and 2.

As they get older they are losing the Norwegian they have learnt because of school, father fed-up of stilted norsk conversations, etc.

I want to start a weekend playgroup in West London. I know about 3 other half norwegian preschoolers in the area.

Any sensible tips or crazy ideas for getting started and running a successful group????

Many thanks in advance

SD

My sister runs one for Korean/English people in Brighton.
They have got some funding from somewhere too.
She has been through all of this stuff.
I can give you her number if you like.

Thanks Moondog. That would be appreciated. Can we private message on this forum??

E mail me at [email protected]

not in relation to the playgroup but could you try the one-parent one language approach? i know a few people doing it and it works very well and seems to keep all parties happy. one family i know do 3 languages... mom german, dad romanian and english outside the house. their little boy is extremely well spoken in any of the three languages

Yes Diva.
Dad must always speak Norwegian.That will give you more than a once weekly language group ever will.

I learnt Welsh successfully despite the fact that we lived in the Pacific.knew no other Welsh speakers and only spoke it with our father.

That sounds brilliant Califrau.
Especially the book/magazine swap.

Hi PinkTulips.

That strategy has worked for us up to a point.

After 5 years my husband is increasingly anglicised and is tired after work - he just finds english easier.

DS started school in September and since then his english reading, writing and speaking have developed at the expense of his norwegian.

With all of this my youngest is exposed to even less Norwegian than her brother was.

Hence my desire to start some form of playgroup.

sorry diva.... sounds exactly like what happened with me when i was a kid.

My dad spoke 3/4 languages at work... often visiting 3 countries in a week and having to switch languages all day long. When he came home he was too tired to speak dutch to me and english to mom and mom's dutch wasn't good enough for us all to speak dutch so i lost my mothertongue (as well as the german i'd learned while living there)

the playgroup does sound like a fabulous idea, really hope it works out for you

Diva,it's great that you are so keen but it really is your dh's responsibility too.
My sister is in a similar situation so I know how hard it is.

Amazing Ideas Califrau. Will certainly be borrowing the book swap one if / when I get anything going.

Any further info to help me find your website on google would be much appreciated.

On the one parent/ one language thing. My husbnad just finds it difficult to keep up Norwegian. His english is perfect as he learnt it in the USA at a young age.

I don't want to badger him as he works hard and is tired but I think a playgroup like this will revitalise and help him as much as it would the kids.

I disagree Kama.
My father spoke English to my mother.
It's virtually impossible to start speaking another language properly with a person after you have been conversing in one for years.

I am a speech and language therapist by the way so great interest in this area.

It just is.
Language so emotive and so intrinsically wrapped up with a relationship.
I advise people daily on situations like this.
For example,lots of people will speak English with children from non Welsh backgrounds becasue they think that it is a kind thing to do and they will speak Welsh with the child when he understands it better.

Fast forward a few years,and you will have a kid who usually speaks good Welsh (thanks to school) but who is not speaking it to all these people he could be speaking it with.

virtually impossible I said.

Your parents must be exceptional people.You are very lucky.

I went to weekly classes for 6 months last year. I Loved it. I learnt quickly at first while we were on "toddler topics" such as names. birthdays, shops etc. It got harder when we moved on to booking hotels and taking telephone mesages.

However, as a mum of two young kids it was hard keeping up all the effort (night classes, homework, sleepless nights etc.)

Also, my husband thought it best if I didn't speak my cock-eyed norqegian around the kids!!!!

Maybe I should give it another bash. Anyway, the attraction of a playgroup is that it gives the family something positive to do on a weekend morning...without eating into precious sleeping time.

If you ever come back home to good ole west London me a line!

Thanks Califrau...your secret is safe with me.

Apologies for all the abysmal typos on the previous post. English IS my first language. Really.

Hmmm,those icy Scandinavians eh??

Norwegian is bloody hard isn't it???

Or is that Finnish?