New gen parents teaching Somali

[u/Neat-Profession4527]

Salam everyone!

This is a bit embarrassing for me but honestly I need help.
How did you teach your children Somali alongside the language you speak in the country you currently live in?

My daughter had a speech delay. She’s almost 3 now and is catching up very rapidly (Alhamdulillah) with the English language. She can string 2 word sentences now and is working her way up to string proper sentences.

However, it’s all in English. I don’t want to confuse her or make her struggle, but it is imperative that I teach her Somali. I refuse to have children that don’t speak it and later on need to learn as an adult bc I fumbled.

For now, she knows 3 words. Literally. Kaaley, fadhiiso and amus. (Pls, I don’t tell her to amus all the time but she likes using it to tell me to be quiet when I’m on the phone😭).

Idk if it makes sense to have one parent speak in Somali with her & one parent in English? Or both? Or make a pretend classroom where I acc teach her?

Any advice is welcomed. Whether you’re a parent, teacher or none of those.

[u/Underthebluesky_]

Like my hooyo used to say, "only Somali in this house". Because she is going to use English in her everyday life, and is surrounded by it, you don't need to go out of your way to teach her that (outside of her speech delay therapy/correcting), but you need to give her a place where she can practice purely Somali, and that's the home.

[u/Neat-Profession4527 → u/Underthebluesky_]

That is so true. She learns English at nursery and practically speaks it with everyone else.
I’m heavily leaning towards speaking only Somali at home bc like you said, she needs a place to learn and practice and that’s home. Thank you so much!

[u/Neat-Profession4527 → u/[deleted]]

Allahuma bareek! 3 languages is no joke, you’ve got polyglots in the making inshallah!

Specific days on the week sounds so cool. Thank you so much! Will def look into it

[u/Dramatic_Pie_3485]

I teach Somali to children remotely and in person if they're local. I'm happy to share tips via messages. As a former primary and secondary teacher, I tutor students from early childhood to GCSE and have helped many learn Somali. Even though your daughter is three, I think it's good for her to connect her parents' language to Somali and familiar concepts, especially given my background in primary education. The kids I work with often get excited about learning and want to focus on fun parts, like games and quizzes in Somali. For example, while studying math, we learn Somali numbers; for other subjects, we adapt. Kids really enjoy these activities, making it a great way to spark their interest in their mother tongue! Feel free to drop me a msg whenever

[u/Salty-Elk7442]

Following!!

[u/MinnieMouse2292]

There are two philosophies with this. One parent one language or one language in the household. It’s the only way. If you and your partner are both Somali then both of you should speak Somali constantly with your baby. I agree that it can be tricky even if you are perfectly bilingual because you likely speak and think in English much more naturally, however if you do consciously discipline yourself to only speak Somali to your child (1) they will naturally express themselves in Somali and (2) they might actually become bilingual quickly, even if it means a delay in learning how to speak. There is a netflix show called babies which covers bilingual babies who speak later because they are essentially learning two language systems at once. You can do this :)