5 Reasons to Learn A Language Alongside Your Kid

Think you missed your chance to learn a new language? Having young kids might actually be your perfect opportunity. Discover 5 surprising reasons why learning alongside your little one could be exactly what you need to finally make it happen.

The Unexpected Language Learning Journey

As an adult who has never been successful learning to speak another language, it’s easy to think that the time has passed, and it will be something that you’ll never end up doing. I thought so too, until 6 months ago when I realized my 3 year old spoke English about as well as I spoke Spanish.

⚡ Despite what you might think, when you have a young kid isn’t an obstacle to learning a language - it might actually be the perfect time to finally give it a try.

Here are five reasons you might not have thought of why when you have a small child, it’s could be the perfect time to learn the language you’ve always wanted to - and teach your kid that language, too.

1. Teaching by Example: The Power of Being a Beginner

Children learn about how to navigate the world based on what they see and hear others doing and saying. Witnessing a parent be a beginner at something can be very powerful for a child.

So many healthy behaviors and emotions happen when you learn something new: slowing down, repetition, reflecting, making changes, asking for help, getting frustrated, learning how to calm yourself down, seeking help and more.

Through your experience, you communicate to your kid: these are all normal and healthy parts of learning.

🎯 By learning a language alongside your child, you're not just gaining new skills - you're modeling resilience, growth mindset, and healthy learning behaviors that will benefit them far beyond language acquisition.

2. Daily parenting routines are perfect speaking practice situations.

On weekdays, getting my girls ready is a repeatable checklist of activities: wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, do hair, pack bags, get in the car, drive to daycare. Lousy for thrill seekers, but EXCELLENT for learning a language!

Each of these activities has a distinct set of vocabulary and phrases. Very quickly, you can build hyper-relevant vocabulary for your specific routines, and you get daily, real-life opportunities to recall and practice them.

🎯 Transform mundane daily routines into powerful language learning opportunities by building vocabulary around the activities you already do every day with your child.

3. You and your kid are speaking the same level of language.

One of the things I’d always found frustrating about learning a foreign language was the huge gap between what I wanted to say vs what I was able to say. No wonder 2 and 3 year olds have temper tantrums - it’s so frustrating wanting to express yourself but not having the ability to!

When you begin speaking another language, your speaking abilities are basic - nay, infantile. But, if you’re talking to a small kid, this can actually be an advantage.

With a kid, not only do you typically use more simple language, but you also talk about more simple concepts. 

⚡ Your "beginner" language level isn't a limitation - it's actually perfectly matched for parent-child communication.

4. When you feel language lousy, your kid is a morale boost.

In moments where I feel like I’ve forgotten all my Spanish, I will ask my oldest what xyz word means she’ll think for a moment and then might say, “I think it’s abc?” or, “I’m not sure, but we can look it up!”

On days when I wonder if my girls are learning any Spanish at all, then my toddler points to her cup at breakfast and says “agua”, or after school, my oldest does imaginary play in a mix of Spanish and English.

I also find myself inspired by my kids as they learn (to write, walk, draw, etc). They keep trying because it feels good to learn and grow. On days where I feel down about my language learning progress, seeing this helps me perspective shift, and feel uplifted.

💫 Your child's small wins become your motivation, creating a positive feedback loop that keeps both of you learning.

5. Technology has made it so much easier.

You likely knew this was coming! Gone are the days of flipping through a physical book to look up a word (unless you still love doing that).

Here are some of the specific tools I use and how I use them that have come in so handy during my journey: 

• Notes app to quickly capture missing vocabulary - I use this to write down missing or desired vocabulary in the moment. This small behavioral change really accelerated my vocabulary building. The in the moment part is key - if you wait until your next schedule break, you will probably forget the words you’d noticed! This took a bit of getting used to for me, as I like to stay in the moment with my kids and not pull out my phone too much. This will really customize your vocabulary needs to the specific day-to-day routines you do with your kids.

• AI-powered tools, ChatGPT or Claude AI - ChatGPT is my go-to for quick translations of Spanish words or phrases. A key shift was to use the voice-to-text feature, as then I can easily add in additional context about how I’m using a word or phrase, to help give me a better translation. There are plenty of advanced ways to use too, but I’ll cover those in other posts.

• ThriftBooks, to find children’s books in Spanish - When I started getting into learning and speaking Spanish with my eldest, I bought a few Spanish baby books on Amazon. As we grew our library, it got to the point where searching [book name + Spanish] on Amazon . Instead, try using ThriftBooks + their language filter. There, you can type in an author or series, filter by language, and find a ton of Spanish versions of books and authors that you know and love.

• Duolingo - Duolingo is a useful go-to for language learning, and can be especially helpful if you are starting from scratch or need a review of the basics. Recently, it’s become something my eldest and I do together during her bedtime routine.

Your Language Learning Journey Starts Now

There are plenty of reasons why having a kid might not be the perfect time for you to learn that language you always wanted to. But, don’t let the fact that you’re a parent hold you back. In fact, it might be just what you need to propel you forward.

If you've been thinking about learning a new language, don't wait - start today by involving your child. The benefits are well worth the effort, and you may just find that it brings you closer together. Dive in and enjoy the journey!