My name is Elvira, and I haven’t lived in my homeland of Latvia since 2010. Over the years, I’ve lived in England and Poland, and for the past nine years, I’ve been residing in Finland.
I was raised in a bilingual family with Latvian and Russian, and now I have a multilingual family of my own.
My 2-year-old daughter is currently learning three languages simultaneously: my mother tongue Latvian, her father’s mother tongue Polish, and the local language, Finnish. The results by now are astonishing!
I should add that I am an educated linguist with experience in tutoring language learners, translating, and interpreting, and I remain a passionate language learner myself. In addition to Latvian and Russian, I speak English, Polish, and Finnish.
Deciding whether to teach your toddler your mother tongue while living abroad is a significant decision that many immigrant parents face. I had been considering which language I would speak to my future child long before I became pregnant.
My mother tongue, Latvian, is a very small language with fewer than 2 million speakers worldwide. It might be considered an unpractical language, and at first, I was unsure if my child would need it.
As soon as I became pregnant, my heart took over, and I knew I wanted to build one of the most important relationships in my life using my mother tongue—Latvian.
There’s nothing more rewarding than expressing yourself in the language you know best and hearing your child respond in that same language, especially when you’re an immigrant in a non-native environment.
Regardless of the reasons behind each parent’s choice, I invite you to join me on the journey of teaching your child your mother tongue while living abroad—because that’s what your heart is guiding you to do.
Teaching your toddler your mother tongue as an immigrant is a rewarding yet challenging experience.
My daughter is 2 years and 2 months old, and she can now form 2-4 word sentences. She even attempts to decline nouns (in Latvian, there are seven declensions). Let’s take a look at the language learning practices I’ve been implementing since the day she was born and the results they have led to:
Speaking your mother tongue to your child since the day one
Many multilingual families use the One Parent, One Language (OPOL) method because it provides a clear distinction that can greatly benefit the child in the future. The key idea is that each parent consistently speaks their native or chosen language to the child, which helps the child distinguish and learn both languages separately.
I’m not 100% strict with the OPOL method, and since I also speak all three languages that my toddler is learning, I occasionally address her in another language when we’re conversing with someone else.
Otherwise, I always speak to her in my mother tongue, and as a result, my daughter automatically addresses me in Latvian most of the time. However, since she’s exposed to other languages, she often mixes them up and sometimes speaks Finnish to me. When this happens, I either respond in Latvian or rephrase what she said in Latvian.
Calling family members and friends who speak your mother tongue is another valuable way to reinforce language learning.
Reading books for a child as early as possible
I’m an avid reader myself, so reading to my daughter is one of my favourite activities. She has grown to love the process as well.
I’ve set up a special bookshelf just for her, where I rotate books regularly. We read literally every day.
When she was a baby, I would read all kinds of books to her, even those meant for older children. She would pick up a few words or admire certain pictures, which I could then discuss. That way I have created an opportunity for her to hear me speaking my mother tongue.
I’ve read a lot of Finnish books to her, which I can easily borrow from our local library. Often, I read the book once in Finnish to understand the plot, and then I retell the story in Latvian, interpreting as I go.
At a certain point, that practice started to bother me. Interpreting is very demanding, and I noticed myself using unnatural-sounding vocabulary. So, I finally researched Latvian publishers and ordered several books. I would have preferred to borrow books from the library to keep a rotation going instead of owning every book we read, but I had to make this sacrifice since Latvian children’s literature isn’t available in Finland.
You can always search for books within your national community, on Facebook groups, or in online marketplaces. Personally, I’m very picky about the books I choose, especially when it comes to the illustrations, but that’s just a personal preference.
As someone who grew up reading tons of books and fairy tales, I believe this experience greatly enriches brain development. As your child learns to speak more, you can ask questions about the book’s story to help reinforce and expand her vocabulary.
For example, I’ve noticed that my daughter has memorized certain phrases from her favourite books, and I encourage her to recite them when we reach that part of the story.
Play music
Most children are born with a basic capacity for musicality. Young children typically enjoy musical activities like singing, dancing, and playing with simple instruments. These activities are not only fun but also support cognitive, emotional, and motor development.
I discovered the power of songs in language learning early on when I first started learning English, and later Polish and Finnish. Singing along to favorite songs helps you memorize phrases, expand your vocabulary, and improve fluency without even realizing it.
Since my daughter is naturally musically gifted, we make music a part of our routine. I help her sing along to various songs (after learning the lyrics myself, of course). It’s a fun and effective way to boost her language skills!
Visit your home country
In our family, visits to Latvia and Poland were crucial for my daughter’s language development when she turned 2.
By that time, she was already speaking in 2-3 word sentences, and being immersed in a full language environment further strengthened her skills.
In addition to speaking to your child in your native language, visiting your home country is one of the most effective ways to boost their language skills, regardless of their age. It fosters an emotional connection to the language, along with impressions and experiences that serve as powerful drivers for language absorption.
In the summer of 2024, I took my 2-year-old daughter to Latvia, and the moment I saw how much her Latvian improved during our visit, I immediately booked another trip for the upcoming autumn.
Once my daughter gets older and starts learning to read and write, I plan to introduce workbooks to our routine for additional language practice and education.
If you are teaching your child your mother tongue while living abroad, please share your experience in the comments!
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