What Bilingual kids dream while sleeping...

The good thing in raising your kids with 2 languages or more are, you can identify what their dream while they are sleeping...

You don't have to go to the psychologist to know what your kid's trembling of or love about,  well I can't said that scientifically  proofed by the expert, but I just found it myself on both my kids (LOLs). I found it funny when I heard my kids talking in their sleep, and I enjoyed every their "conversation" in a sleep.

It's also "unscientifically" proof that bilingual kids are able to shift their attention since in their consciousness are supposedly easy, so of course in their  sleeping more clear..

The bilingual kids will respond to the dream according to whom they deal with... one sample, my kids showing anger by saying word "Ga mau" (= I don't wan't it) in their sleep, so I know to whom she's talking to in the dream, and it's me, my husband reply her "kya huwa meri beti"(What's wrong my daughter?) best thing about her, sometimes she replied. And she replied it nicely in urdu... Amazing how the brain works... "MashAllah"...

I shared this as a fun... I found many moms thought their kids in some languages... some thinking this is an ordinary topic, so they didn't share it in the blog or any other stuff, or might be its not a new thing... I still searching some blogs related to bilingual kids... 

If You Are Raising multilingual Kids | Membesarkan anak multilingual? Saya juga.

You are not alone raising multilingual kids, I have 2 of my own, they are 6 and 3 yo and they can pick up more than 3 languages while the eldest one start the fourth one slowly . I have found no difficulties in raising them in even 3 languages, what I feel the success keys are all start at home. Me and my husband, we are communicating in English, me and my kids are Bahasa Indonesia, and kids to dad in Urdu (native language of Pakistani), Initial they r still (and still is) using some words in English or in Urdu to the words they couldn't get in bahasa,  I don't think it's a big deal, because every kids will develop their vocabulary accordingly.

With all the myth spread which makes most parents hesitate to teach their kids the second language, third or even more, such as giving confusion to the kids, slow to speak, or ended up with mixing both the language... Honestly the first two reasons I have found no issues in both of my kids, they even faster and more talkative than other kids (which I can't bear it)... and for the other reason that they will end up with mixing all languages... I absolutely didn't mind at all, since my self start bilingual myself I often use English words in my Bahasa, or even I use Bahasa in my English when  I replied my husband before the word are not in English... Nowadays, (I'm talking about Indonesia) many of us found many adults did it... not only in English words, but we found them talking using many local languages in whole conversation... Sundanese, Javanese, Betawise, I guess he have no offense on these things.

If you asked me about their academic result, I just only can praise God how much I'm lucky to have them, they both doing a great job in their study.

Basically Both of my kids has a strong Urdu, that's the main thing. Some friends here found their kids are reluctant to be bilingual multilingual and cos of their mothers are not Urdu speaking, with worst Urdu ever and even me, made monolingual kids (Urdu speaking) themselves don't speak Urdu properly, some words they got from non-Urdu speaking mother who tried to communicate in urdu are totally have different sound or even  giving different meaning to the essence of the conversation... That's really bad.

As for third language of my kids, initially they just understand the sentences from me and my husband conversation, which they really picked up so easily, soon after they entered the school which is English medium school they start using it in their own world while they are playing alone and playing role, I didnt emphasized them to use English, but kids love it cos they are happy with their fun school.

The elder one have started fourth language which is Arabic in schol, again I won't pushed him to be good in Arabic, I let him explore the language, let him practicing by his own will. So let see how many languages he will end up with... Languages are treasure we have to dig up every time... no limit in learning language... 

Bilingual Berawal di Rumah

Sudah lama rasanya tidak menulis blog, banyak yang ingin dishare di sini. Tapi yang sedang hot sepertinya adalah bilingual. Beginilah orang tua, selalu ingin memberikan yang terbaik untuk anak-anak, walhasil orangtua harus banting tulang untuk mengumpulkan pundi-pundi demi menyekolahkan anak di sekolah International yang umumnya english medium.

Namun sayangnya jika mengandalkan sekolah saja tentu akan menjadikan beban bagi sang anak dengan menganggap bahwa berbahasa adalah bagian dari pelajaran yang nantinya akan diujikan yang perlu dipersiapkan dan jika mendapat nilai D akan berakhir failed... ufffh... membacanya saja sudah ikut frustasi bagaimana pelaksanaannya :)

Alhamdulillah walau dengan kemampuan English yang cukup sebagai modal berkomunikasi artinya diri sendiri dapat dimasukan dalam bilingual mother, karena suami native langunge beliau adalah urdu, menambah nilai plus juga buat diri sendiri untuk mengerti dan mampu berkomunikasi dengan urdu.

Background anak-anak dengan kemampuan dua bahasa atau lebih biasanya dimulai dari lingkungan rumah... disini semua element berperan penting... kebanyakan dari mereka berasal dari perkawinan campur ataupun outsider/migrated dimana didalam rumah mereka peraturan yang berlaku adalah salah satunya adalah "only mother tongue".

Berikut ini yang berlaku dalam rumah, bahwa anak-anak harus berbahasa Indonesia dengan Si Ibu karena hanya Ibu yang mampu berbahasa Indonesia, anak-anak akan berbahasa urdu dengan Ayah atau Kakek mereka. Please notice, sebagai orang tua berkomunikasi dengan english. Anak-anak bersekolah di english medium school, tidak ada yang mengkhawatirkan buat si anak dalam memahami content subject yang dipelajarkan.... bahkan menurut guru si anak dalam subject English si anak memiliki kemampuan lebih diatas rata-rata anak yang lain lengkap dengan pronunciation dan mengerti dengan jelas maksud yang disampaikan Guru...

Beberapa masalah yang dihadapi anak ternyata lebih banyak terdapat dari sumber bahasa tersebut, yaitu kemampuan english si orang tua atau juga kemampuan english guru terutama untuk subject sciences, untuk mendapatkan padanan kata yang tepat. Padahal si anak amat sangat siap menerima pembelajaran sesuatu yang baru setiap harinya, bahkan amat sangat menginginkan sesuatu yang baru...

Pasti pernah memperhatikan bagaimana progress anak terhadap kosa kata baru yang muncul dilingkungan kita... Anak-anak begitu antusias menggunakan kosa kata baru... sebut saja yang baru-baru ini kita kenal sebagai bahasa Alay... bukankah itu adalah bahasa baru.

Nah sebagai ibu, tentu kita mau karena itu kita pasti bisa. yuk memulai dari rumah mengajarkan bahasa kedua kepada si anak... Ingat yah mulainya dari rumah...