How do we help kids when they feel different and left out?
Reading stories like “Melody the Unicorn and the Beauty Within” give us opportunities to have important conversations with our kids. As Melody goes on her quest to “be like everyone else”, it serves as a guide for parents to have a conversation on self-perception, body positivity, and inclusion.
Physician Subani Maheshwari wrote this award-winning story after having a
bedtime conversation with her young daughter, who shared that she felt different from her friends because of how she looked. Growing up in an Englishspeaking country, as minorities in their classrooms, many of our kids will have this same experience of “difference”. Even the youngest of kids, in preschool, may experience this feeling but not be able to express it.
That’s why we need to create pockets of time where our kids can open up to us. Those one on one moments at bedtime, driving in the car or going for a walk are opportunities to create a moment of connection.
Aside from how our kids look, our home languages can also be anxiety-provoking sources of difference. Wonder why your kid hardly speaks your language while they understand most of it? One plain fact is that our home languages are not academic, they are tied to our identities. Making a mistake with your language in front of family burns more deeply than making a mistake in Spanish class at school. Teaching our kids that it is ok to be vulnerable and its ok to make mistakes are building blocks to positive self concept and confidence.
Subani and I discussed some practical ways she creates a positive learning environment for Hindi at home. Here are 7 tips to help your kids feel confident with language.
Check out BhashaKids’ bilingual book collection for ideas.
I also interviewed our inhouse critic, Lil A, after she finished the book. Check out the adorable 90 second TINY BOOK REVIEW here:
Anita of BhashaKids and Aditi Wardhan Singh discuss the realities of raising kids in a multicultural way. Aditi is an author, editor, published and founder of Raising World Children. Hear what inspired Aditi to start her path-breaking platform which focuses on "Raising Mindfulness Through Books & Culture" and supports other authors in that space.
Check out BhashaKids Hindi Bilingual Collection
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Anita and Amruta have a lively discussion as they discuss the challenges of growing up Indian in America. Hear how they are now both working to make passing language and culture to the next generation easier for parents. You will learn what inspired Amruta to start a cultural academy for young kids and her unique spin on helping young kids navigate their connection with their Indian heritage.
Amruta Panth is a choreographer, actress, a teacher and a cultural enthusiast! She relocated to India during the pandemic to marry Param Pandya, a heritage scholar and tour leader. Together they have a vision to bring Indian culture and history to the world. Multilingual herself, Amruta is now learning Gujarati on top of Hindi, Tamil and Marathi. Param and Amruta's seminal class, Indian Heritage 101, is designed for kids ages 5-13 to help them learn all about India and what being Indian means to them.
Help your kids “find their Inner Indian.” Meri Sanskriti Academy is now open for enrollment. Virtual classes in Art, Hindi, Bharatanatyam, Bollywood Dance, Youth Leadership and Heritage 101 are available. MS Academy Hindi classes use BhashaKids learning materials! In person social meetups to be arranged for those in the DC metro vicinity.
Interested in promoting Desi languages and culture? Follow @bhashakids and @heritage_culture_kids and tell your friends & family about us. Check out our collaboration - the "Twice the Pride: Indian American" sticker in the Gifts section of the BhashaKids Shop.
Check out our bilingual resources: Bilingual books, vocabulary sets and worksheets.
| BK Interview 4 |
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Anita & Richa discuss their successes and challenges in raising multilingual and multicultural families. Hear what inspired them to become #mompreneur and their vision for making things easier for other families.
Richa Joshi is a podcaster, a Coach, a diversity advocate and an entrepreneur. Her brand, Dual Nation, asks "Why choose one when you can be both?" Her message is all about multicultural pride and growth mindset. In this interview, Richa shares her own story of being an Indian expat and growing up in several countries before settling down in Australia to raise her kids. She shares what it is like to grow up as a "third culture kid" and "global Indian", learning from her own past to inform her parenting approach. Her main message is to "Be Open". Multiculturalism is ever evolving -what it means to you may not be the same as it means to your children. Be open to them having a different experience. Be open to embracing different traditions and even creating new ones of your own.
Check out “Same, Same but Different”, Richa’s new podcast.
https://open.spotify.com/show/0imzKhkk30QJQMkI6heFI0
Interested in promoting Desi languages and culture? Follow @bhashakids and @dual_nations_designs and tell your friends & family about us. Check out our collaboration - the "Twice the Pride: Indian American" sticker in the Gifts section of the BhashaKids Shop.
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“The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher
World Multilingualism Day also known as the International Day of Multilingualism is now celebrated annually on March 28th. Wait, that’s a thing? Well, yes it is, but don’t worry, you aren’t behind the times. It’s new, started in 2019, just 2 years ago, by Dr. Thomas H. Bak and a group of enthusiastic polyglots. Dr. Thomas Bak is a cognitive neuroscientist who studies the impacts of language learning, in particular bilingualism and multilingualism, on the brain and its impacts on aging. They chose March 27th because this is the date engraved on the Rosetta Stone.
Did you know that more than half the world’s population speaks more than one language? If you drill down into the numbers, knowing the population of India and China make up a sizable majority of that population, and that many Indians and Chinese speak more than one language, you can see that fact as true. This group of linguists sought to promote World Multilingualism Day with the hashtag #multilingualisnormal.
I would like to propose something a bit different. Something that has been bugging me for a few months so hear me out. I’m willing to hear alternate sides of the debate, but here it goes. I would like to suggest the hashtag #normalizemultilingualism because I think we need to make that an ACTION. The fact is, here in the US, it is not the norm to speak another language besides English, and yes, there has been linguistic violence and oppression in this country dating back to its inception. You may know what I’m talking about -- “We speak English in America! Go back to your country!”
I would also ask this question - Does the term “Bilingualism” have racist origins? Is it a “1st World” construct? The way "Bilingualism" is used today assumes that English is the norm and that any different language is the “Other”. Have you heard the term bilingual used in any other context? I would propose that us Americans even out the playing field and realize - the rest of the world doesn’t even operate with the term “bilingualism”. Because in the rest of the world, #multilingualisnormal.
I had an interesting conversation with my kids’ Spanish teacher the other day. She shared how she once worked at an NGO and was appointed as the “Bilingual program coordinator”. She ended up getting posted in Europe for a bit. When her colleagues heard her title, they all had a good guffaw. “Bilingual? Are you mad? Many people here speak more than English and Spanish.”
I know many Indian immigrants who speak Hindi, English, + another language. Yet for some reason, they are not recognized as nor do they recognize themselves as true multilinguals. It's time you put that crown on your head. Being multilingual, being a polyglot, is a true achievement. It changes the way you think and interact with those around you. It widens your worldview.
Some are afraid to teach their kids their own language - lest their English skills suffer, or because they don’t want their kids to feel left out or different from their English speaking, American peers. This was especially true for those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s to newly immigrated parents. There is a lost generation of people of Indian descent who look Indian, dress Indian, eat/cook Indian foods - but can’t speak more than a primary school level of their mother tongue, let alone read or write it. For parents who are worried that speaking your mother tongue at home will impact your kids’ ability to learn English - don’t worry! You learned in more than one language, and so can they! Science shows that the most amazing brains with the best capacity to learn is that of children. If you are worried they will feel isolated from their American peers, I’m sorry to tell you the blunt truth. They already are. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again - for those of us living in the hyphen “Indian-American” - you are simultaneously BOTH and neither.
For the lost generation, there is still time to learn. You can learn along with your child. There are so many great resources out there. One reason I created BhashaKids was I saw the lack of tools available in Indian languages. Here is a link to an article on how multilingualism promotes cognitive development.
Put your crown on. Claim the mantle of #multilingual and #polyglot. Let’s keep discussing and exploring the inherent bias in the linguistic world. Let’s all support each other to pass on our languages to our kids. Let’s #normalizemultilingualism
Check out our bilingual language collections for children: bilingual books, vocabulary sets, and worksheets.
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Picture Books:
Nithila's Pongal:
Newly released Paperback 2023! Click on the image to buy on Amazon.