For parents raising children in a multilingual household, a common question is how best to develop fluency in both languages. Should you mix both languages when interacting with your child? Or keep each one separate? One popular method is the One Parent One Language (OPOL) approach, where each parent speaks only their native language with the child. The goal is to avoid mixing languages and provide maximal exposure to each. But is OPOL the best way to raise bilingual kids? As with any approach, there are both advantages and drawbacks. In this article, we’ll dive into the key pros and cons of the OPOL method to help you make an informed decision for your family. What is the One Parent One Language Approach? First let’s quickly review what the OPOL approach entails. With OPOL, parents assign one language per parent to use exclusively with the children. For example: Mother speaks English with child Father speaks Polish with child The parents stick to only speaking their assigned language ...
Bilingual living
As a mother of two young kids, I know how important early education is for their development. That's why I started this blog - to document my family's journey with teaching our children English.