DH and I are considering exposing DS26mo to French as a second language. I'd love some feedback from experienced parents here, particularly those whose children weren't in an immersive bilingual environment from birth. DS' English vocabulary is vast, he's developing a love of word play, and I feel a language would be a fun new challenge for him to enjoy! (Confession: I ADORE language learning.)
Background: We speak English at home, though I can also speak French fluently and Spanish nearly fluently. DH is a uningual anglophone.
Goals:
1. For DS to achieve native level fluency for age in French around kindergarten age.
2. To train DS' ear to an authentic French Canadian (Montreal/Quebec City) accent.
3. I'd be thrilled if we could plant some early seeds of meta cognition.
4. Build confidence and competence with early oration (dramatic expression, public speaking).
Prelim Plan: I'm thinking of hiring an undergraduate student majoring in French--ideally French theater!-- to spend two or three one-hour sessions each week with DS, reading French stories, acting out role plays, and playing in French while I exercise. I want his "lessons" to be pretty self-contained with a high entertainment value. It also wouldn't hurt for him to learn to take direction from a sensitive outside teacher. (ETA: Obviously I can do this myself, but I'm looking for someone to relieve me while I exercise, so I figured the caregiver could serve double duty.)
I would be grateful for any feedback that you might have to offer! Thanks!
