Bilingual living

As parents raising bilingual children, we want to ensure our kids are making steady progress in both languages. But how can we accurately assess their abilities and track development in each tongue over time? Structured assessment provides valuable insights into areas where language growth is excelling versus lagging. Tracking measurable milestones motivates children as they realize how far they’ve come. Assessment data also helps parents adjust teaching strategies to address any weak spots proactively. However, effective assessment for bilingual learners is nuanced. Standardized tests in only one language fail to capture the full scope of bilingual proficiency. As parents, we need customized tools to evaluate our children’s dual language journey accurately and compassionately. In this post, I’ll share the assessment and tracking approaches that have worked for our family, including: Observing usage and growth organically Using checklists tied to developmental milestones Gathering inpu...

As a parent, some of my favorite memories are made cooking alongside my children. There’s something magical about gathering ingredients, following recipes step-by-step, and savoring the tasty results together. Beyond stirring bowls and decorating cookies, cooking provides a multitude of teachable moments. Cooking with kids builds life skills, grows math and reading abilities, and fosters priceless bonding. Laughter fills our kitchen as we mix, measure, and taste. Sure, there are spills and messes, but they just add to the fun. The joy on my kids’ faces when we serve a dish we created together makes all the flour on the floor worth it! In this blog post, I’m sharing over 25 of my favorite sentences, sayings, and exchanges that capture the special joy of cooking with kids. May they inspire you to create memorable kitchen moments with your own little chefs! Planning and Preparing Together Let’s get all our ingredients together before we start. What should we make today? Something sweet or...