The Art of Raising Multilingual Children - Paperback

by Xiao-Lei Wang (Author)

Offers grounded and flexible advice on multilingual parenting, family wellbeing and everyday family life.

This practical guide offers intentional, adaptable strategies for families raising children in multilingual environments, especially those where parents speak different heritage languages. It draws on the latest research and the author's own experience and provides a blueprint for parents with different heritage languages to support children's language development, alongside their cognitive, social-emotional, physical and identity growth.

The book addresses the real-life complexities families face when navigating multiple linguistic and cultural legacies and provides a roadmap for making thoughtful choices that honor each family's unique story. The author invites families to reflect on their beliefs and routines, challenge conventional ideas about childrearing and language, and explore creative solutions for fostering multilingualism in daily life.

Ultimately, this is a book about possibility: how families with diverse heritage languages can raise confident, connected, and resilient children in a multilingual world.

Author Biography

Xiao-lei Wang is Dean and Full Professor at the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences at Adelphi University in New York, United States. Her research focuses on multilingual language acquisition, nonverbal communication, and parent-child interaction. She has written numerous books, including three books written for parents of multilingual children.