When and where I was growing up, we’ve always had to learn at least 2 languages at school. This started when I was what the Victorian school system would call Prep. In Singapore (where I was from), it was and still is called Kindergarten. So at age 5, we were already taught the basics of another language other than English. Usually there are 3 languages – Malay, Chinese and Tamil (Indian). Most schools would either offer Malay and Chinese, depending on the availability of teachers to teach Tamil. Then when I got to primary and secondary school, again, you could choose which of the 3 languages to learn as your second language and in most cases the students and parents would choose their mother tongue, in my case, Malay, which is similar to Bahasa Indonesia. The same goes for secondary school. In my opinion, having grown up in a country with a diverse culture from people with so many different backgrounds, I thought learning a language other than English was a good thing. To me, it broaden my horizons and in fact, thanks to watching those Chinese dramas, I’ve even picked up speaking Mandarin pretty well – more conversational and minus the correct intonation – which is always a bonus when wanting to gossip to my Chinese friends without my parents knowing what I’m saying. Thanks to my religious background – I’m a born Muslim – I also am able to read Arabic. Only read, but not know most of the meaning. So in effect I actually have a pretty broad base of knowledge of other languages. Does that make me special? Ummm…no I don’t think so, but it does help when you’re trying to decipher what others are saying when they don’t realise you do know their language.

I was thrilled when the previous primary school that Miss 10 attended during her Prep to Grade 1 years had LOTE offered. They had German. Strange, but hey, it’s still a language and it’s pretty interesting to hear your child rattle off words in another language. Now, you would think my kids, having parents who can speak another language would be able to do so as well? Unfortunately no. Mr. C speaks Cantonese (yes, I’ve picked that up too) and I speak Malay (no, thank goodness Mr. C hasn’t picked that up!) so, it can be a bit tricky to sow those seed into our kids when we both can’t converse to each other in another language other than English. We did try, but failed miserably. So now that the kids are a bit older, we’ve enrolled them in Chinese school, to learn Mandarin. And yes, the only person who can actually get what they’re saying is me?! Ironic isn’t it? At school, they have LOTE for those from Prep to Grade 4, learning Italian. Master 6 has picked that up so easily, and that’s probably because he’s learnt it from Prep. I for one have absolutely no idea how to speak the language but do love listening to the words being rattled off by my two kids.

So how do you try and encourage your child to continue developing their love for another language and also get in on the act? Thanks to Glottogon, now I can actually join in the journey with my kids when they’re learning Italian. Set up by Karen Mennie, who found that bringing up her own child in a biligual world wasn’t as easy as she’d thought it would be (hmm…sounds familiar!) she decided to source books and products that will help in languages other than English from International publishers. Glottogon carries a collection of books and educational tools that are fun for both kids and even adults. With 10 languages for kids from 0-10, you will be hard pressed to find a foreign language that you won’t like!

Foam Padded Books

Seeing that my kids have learnt the basics of the Italian language, I thought I’d give that a try. The “Educational” range had simple foam core books that had very simple sentences for the kids to read and even words with pictures of the some words. They were separated into “My Week”, “My Manners”, “My Body” and so much more. Basics that even those with no Italian language background can learn. Then there’s the large flash cards, which come double sided and includes the English word as well – for doofus like me who have no idea what is going on. Their “Learning with Animals” flashcards are HUGE in large writing and teaches you not just the animals in Italian but colours and numbers too.

Large Flash Cards

The range of books for older kids who are more fluent are just as exciting, but I think I’ll leave that for later. What’s the trick to making learning fun instead of making it like something they HAVE to do? Find a time that you’re all relaxed, and let the kids go through the easy, basic books first. You would be surprised how much they actually do enjoy it. Well, I know my kids do because they find words that sound different rather funny and peculiar. So it’s more the curiosity that’s burning their minds.

Inside the book "Learning with Animals"

Would you like to join in this journey of discovering another language with your child? Thanks to Glottogon, I’ve got a $50 gift voucher to giveaway to one lucky winner. To enter, simply tell me which language you would love your child to learn and why. Entries close 18th May 2012.

Terms & Conditions:

• Open to Australian residents only
• ONE entry per person, per household
• For EXTRA entries, tweet this giveaway (click that  retweet button) and let me know that you have in the comments section, and/or share it on facebook and let me know via the comments section.

*I received a Glottogon package for consideration in accordance with the site’s Disclosure Policy.