You talk to your child in the language you grew up with. Then someone tells you to switch to English. They say two languages will confuse your child at school. Now every bedtime story comes with a small worry. You are not the only parent carrying this question. You don’t need a credential to be your child’s first teacher. You already are one.
Common questions from parents
Should we stop speaking our home language so our child learns English faster?
Is it normal for my child to mix two languages in one sentence?
My bilingual child is struggling to read. Is it the two languages?
How do we keep both languages going at home?
Told to drop your home language so your child learns English? Keep talking. How to raise a child with two languages, and what to do if reading gets hard.
What does the infographic tell parents to do?
The picture opens with the brain and later life. The part you can use tonight is at the bottom. It is a three-step plan for parents. Here it is in plain words.
- Give language support. Talk, sing and read with your child in both languages. Start where your family is today.
- Practice every day. Give your child real chances to use both languages. Meals, games and calls with family all count.
- Value both languages. Show your child that each language matters at home. So does each culture.
The last line of the image is about helping a child grow. We say it more simply. Use both languages, every day, with warmth.
A child picks up a language by living in it. Reading has to be taught.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
What do two languages do for a growing brain?
Children pick up talking by being around it. They hear it, try it and use it. That is true for one language or for two. Every language a child uses is a skill they are building. Practice builds the pathways for it.
Parents often ask us if two languages confuse a child. Our guide to that worry answers it in full. In short, we do not see confusion. We see a child with two ways to say what they mean.
- Mixing looks normal to us. A child who mixes languages in one sentence is using every word.
- Switching shows they are paying attention. We see children change language to fit the person listening.
- Count both languages. A word your child knows in your home language still counts. Look at all their words together.
Key takeaways
- Keep the home language: Talk with your child in the language you know best.
- Give both languages real jobs: Meals, stories, games and family calls all count as practice.
- Never wait on reading: If reading is hard in either language, ask for help now.
What if reading is hard in either language?
Talking comes from living with a language. Reading is different. It has to be taught, in every language, step by step. So if reading is hard, look at the reading itself. To us, a second language is never a reason to wait.
Tell your child’s teacher what you see at home. Ask what is being taught, and how. For a second opinion, read when to get outside help, and what kind. Only a professional evaluation can get formal supports, like an IEP or 504 plan.
“Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective.”
International Dyslexia Association, definition of dyslexia, 2025
To us, your home language is part of your child, not something in the way.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
To us, your home language is part of who your child is. The old habit was to drop it and wait. Waiting has never taught a child to read. Teaching does. If reading is hard, there is a free first step. It asks what you see at home. It is a starting point, not a diagnosis. Try the free dyslexia screener.
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You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
References
- International Dyslexia Association. (2025). Definition of Dyslexia.
