Nurturing Bilingual Infants and Toddlers

Being bilingual is good for the brain and the earlier children start to learn two languages, the easier and more successful that bilingual development can be. We know that language begins to develop before babies begin to talk, so this session will focus on building two or more languages from the very beginning. Karen Nemeth, author of books such as Many Languages, Building Connections: Supporting Infants and Toddlers who are Dual Language Learners, will share developmentally appropriate ideas for supporting home languages and introducing new languages in play and caring routines. She will demonstrate some great resources for the infant toddler care environment and talk about the special roles of diverse infant/toddler parents. We’ll talk about serious, evidence-based strategies for bilingual babies