Doncha love that title?
My Thai wife and I have a daughter who just turned 2 a week ago. It looks like she's developing into a bilingual kid. She speaks English with me (and just a handful of other foreigners who happen our way), but she speaks Thai 80% of the day with my wife, her friends and her playmates around the neighborhood.
I'd like her to spend more time with other English speaking kids. Anyone interested in their English speaking kid(s) hanging out with mine, send me a message.
Doubt you will find many with the traffic problems here. All I can do is recommend you spend as much time with her as you can. If your wife can speak English I would have her use English with the child as well.
I wish you all the best.
Too long in Exile, too long not singing my song.
Too long like a rolling stone, Too long in exile
Too long in Exile, baby you just arent my friend.
Too long in Exile my friend, Baby you can never go home again.
Moon Lander Champion!Maybe download some "learning" cartoons. Just a thought. If you were to invest in a PMP you could put them up on the TV.
There are some BRILLIANT programs these days (noticed when I visited my bros 2 year old in the US)
Children's Programming News
My 3 year old daughter gets most of her English from Disney Playhouse. Little Einsteins, Mickey and the gang, etc...
After 1 hour a day for the past year, or so, she's blabbing in English, Khemer, and Thai. Doesn't (Un) True Visions offer Disney Playhouse?
They do but you pay extra for the disney channel and disney playhouse. Its 170 a month on top of your package I believe.
My son is just about four... we managed to find a few other look kreungs. He played with them and had loads of fun with one kid, but alas we are too busy right now. I can tell you that even just a few times of the kids hanging out really did alot for his English. He speaks well, but after actually seeing other kids use it, he really lost his fear of speaking English with other kids. Now, he is in an English program, so...
"Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand."
- Woody Allen
Hey Ohhh You Know,
my son will be 2 in a week. He's a "look khrueng" and speaks an interesting mix of Thai and English. I'd like him to meet kids of his own age too. We take him to Gymboree but that's more about playing, not speaking really.
Where do you live mate?
No guarantee that they'll actually speak to each other, of course, but could be worth a try...
"You must be the change you wish to see in this world" - Mahatma Gandhi
How about somthing like this - arrange a meet-up about once a week, on a weekend for other couples who have kids around the same age? Go to a park or an indoor playground typ venue and just let the kids mix and talk to each other on their own.
A few people mentioned TV shows, but I don't like the idea of parking kids in front of the TV. Real interaction is better.
^sure it is, but if you can't get that, tv is a good substitute (i can't believe I'm saying this).
I don't watch much tv. My son and I only watch stuff downloaded. I can tell you that he learns alot of american style english from it. As long as you are careful with what you let them watch, tv is a good tool.
you could recommend him a couple of english speaking babysittersOriginally Posted by aging one
hey, kids gotta find a way to make a buck these days!
When you're in a village with only a few hundred Khemer speaking Thais, I don't think an hour a day of Disney Playhouse hurts.
My son is also half thai / half farang ; and i think the above idea of having a social gathering with our kids is a great one so long as it is logistically possible. I'm out by Bang Na but would put the effort into travelling for such an event. Otherwise, would be happy to have my 2.5 year old son play with another child to get english social interaction.
Message me for my email if you like.
"needs more cowbell"
im surprised a social network like this doesnt already exist in bkk. does it?
Agreed- not a big fan of TV shows myself. That said, a poster pointed out above that, as long as it's controlled (and limited), picking up language passively can be useful. Children seem to have a very big MEMORY button somewhere which seems to produce active language, sometimes at times when you least expect it!
I am keen for my boy to meet and play with other children, especially English-speaking kids. He has a few Thai friends but they don't seem to actually talk to each other...
I live in Ladprao and would happily go to a park or (even better) a beach to have him interact with others his age.
How much do you think 2-year olds actually communicate with each other?
Quite a lot I'd say! I'm surprised by how much my son knows of english/Thai./ He will be 5 in a couple of months, and speaks only english with me, and only english with his mum when I'm present. otherwise she will usually use Thai even though she's fluent in english. Even with other luk kreungs in his class he tends to talk only Thai with them, probably not to feel 'out of place'. This will become an increasing problem as they get older and are more self concious of speaking english (Thais don't seem to mind it and thinks they are 'keng' for being bilingual - compare that to the West, when the child will crawl under a rock if their Thai mum speaks Thai to them. I guess living in Thailand, then, gives them the best opportunity for being fully bilingual. Part of the problem then, is when the kids are together, is to get them only to speak english...they seem to prefer Thai. One option would be to find some families with kinds who only speak english - other falang kids or non-Thais. I saw lots of improvement in the confidence of my son when we returned to Australia for a holiday. Just being forced to use the english he's got, and being surrounded in an all english speaking environment, can do wonders.
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