3 Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Speak Italian

3 Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Speak Italian Brooke Neuman Bilingual children enjoy creative, cognitive, and cultural advantages because of their early exposure to multiple languages. Fortunately,  childhood is an  ideal time to learn a new language, especially when the brain is still developing. However,  your child doesnt have to start taking language lessons in infancy or grow up in a multilingual household to speak Italian. You just need to stay involved in their learning process and think of creative ways to keep them engaged. If your son or daughter is taking private Italian lessons but you dont speak Italian, its especially important to keep them immersed and make sure his or her new skills stick. Turn Italian into your household’s second language with the  following three kid-friendly techniques. From laminated labels to delicious menu items, your child will learn to speak Italian in no time! 1. Household  Labels Enlist your budding bilinguals help with  a creative activity that will pay off for months to come: labels! Sticking name cards on everyday objects  is  a tried and true way to reinforce new vocabulary terms and your child will appreciate the opportunity to curate their own collection of words. Make it an ongoing project by starting with simple items, such as doors, windows, and appliances, and progressing to less common terms as your child gets comfortable with the first set of cards. If you dont want to fill your home with neon colored post-its, find single sheets of scrapbook paper that simulate the colors and materials of each surface. 2. Italian Movie Night There arent many stateside screenings of Italian-language movies, but its hard to beat the educational value of a foreign film. Check  your library, online streaming services,  and  on-demand menus for original Italian movies with kid-friendly themes. The following five are particularly popular and widely available in America: Title Genre Rating Released Themes  Life is Beautiful  (La vita  Ã¨  bella) Dark comedy PG-13 1997 Holocaust, father/son relationship, literature They Call Me Trinity  (Lo  chiamavano  Trinità) Western G 1970 Cops vs. robbers Il  Postino: The Postman  (Il  Postino) Romantic comedy PG 1994 Poetry, love, literature Pinocchio  (Pinocchio) Fantasy comedy G 2002 Fairy tales, father/son relationship, honesty Trinity Is STILL My Name! (Continuavano  a  chiamarlo  Trinità) Western G 1971 Pioneers, brotherhood Dont rely on English subtitles to understand the plots and  dialogue; instead, screen or stream the movies with their original audio, and encourage your child  to pay attention. Even if your child  doesnt catch every word, he or she will  get a little more comfortable with each subsequent viewing. 3.  Italian Dinner Night Italy already has the market cornered on kid-friendly cuisine, but your family  probably wont pick up much  Italian from a slice of pizza or bowl of spaghetti. If you want to  use mealtime as an opportunity to help your children speak Italian, its time to start a new family tradition. Pick a  day or two  each month â€"  for example, every other Thursday  â€" to prepare and serve  authentic Italian meals together. Instead of  rotating a menu of safe favorites, commit to making at least one new dish each time.  You dont have to tackle challenging recipes for flatbread pizzas and hand-pulled pastas; just make sure your kids are picking items with original Italian names, and learning about their origins and etymologies. For example, pasta cuts often have literal names  with plural suffixes, such as  ini  or  otti, which describe their size, shape and  texture. If your kids pick different pastas for every Italian family dinner, theyll gradually become acquainted with a whole lexicon of common words and grammar structures. Speaking Italian is a great skill for a child to have. While private Italian lessons will certainly help your child progress, doing fun exercises at home is a great way to speed up the learning process and engage your child. For more fun kid-friendly Italian exercises, check out these other blogs posts: Italian for Kids: Learning the Alphabet [Audio and Visual] 4 Fun Italian Vocabulary Games for Kids 4 Quick and Easy Italian Grammar Exercises Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photos by Tom Borowski,  Ginny,  Jonathan Moreau