The multilingual expat family blog: raising multilingual children internationally. We focus on Portuguese, German, and English, as well as general bilingual or multilingual learning, activities, and best practices. ♡

Unlocking Language Potential: The Power of Multilingual Mentors for Your Child
Learning multiple languages can be a complex journey for a child - one that requires more than just textbooks or apps. Enter the multilingual mentor: a role model who inspires, guides, and brings languages to life. Finding the right mentor can transform your child’s language learning experience, making it meaningful, personal, and fun.

Your child feels embarrassed to speak your minority language? How you can help.
Supporting a child who feels self-conscious or embarrassed about speaking a non-dominant heritage language with their parents can be a delicate but rewarding process. It’s about fostering pride, reducing pressure, and making the language a natural and positive part of their life.

A Day in the Life of a Parent Raising a Multilingual Child Abroad
Ever wonder what it’s like to raise a tiny polyglot in a foreign land? Between language mix-ups and international snack time, here’s a smart (and funny) peek into a day in the life of a parent juggling multiple languages, cultures, and unexpected twists.

3 Board Games for playful language awareness
Discover how games can help your preschooler learn a minority language while having fun. Perfect for family time around the dinner table. Check out our top picks.

Overcoming uncertainty about whether your multilingual efforts will pay off long-term
Managing the uncertainty that accompanies raising a multilingual child can indeed be daunting. It is common for parents to question whether their efforts will yield the desired outcomes, especially when navigating the complexities of language acquisition. Here are several strategies to help alleviate those concerns and create a supportive environment for your child’s multilingual journey.

How to avoid setting unrealistic expectations for your multilingual child
Raising children with multiple languages abroad is a rewarding yet complex journey, and it’s easy for parents to set unrealistic expectations that can lead to frustration. To keep the process enjoyable and sustainable for both you and your child, here are practical tips to avoid those pitfalls.

Inconsistent School Curriculums Across Countries: Disrupting Language Development in Multilingual Children
Inconsistent curriculums across countries can disrupt your child’s language development, especially when you’re determined to nurture your home languages outside of school.

Adapting to Local Accents or Dialects That Differ from Your Target Language
What happens when you land in a country where one of your home languages is spoken with a local accent or dialect that feels worlds apart from what you’ve been teaching your little one?

Clear, Specific, and Practical Steps to Boost a Lagging Language without Overwhelming the Child
It’s time to discuss the options you can take to rebalance a weak language again. So, effectively, what can you do if you feel one language is losing ground?

Strategies for Integrating Home Language Learning with School Subjects
Raising a multilingual child when the school language differs from their home languages presents both challenges and opportunities. The key is to integrate home language learning with school subjects in a way that supports academic success while strengthening fluency in all languages.

Books that share the love of reading with your multilingual child
For me, reading is the key that unlocks everything. It’s how we access stories, ideas, and knowledge from every corner of the globe—and when you’re raising a child with multiple languages, it’s pure gold.

Global Playground Adventures: Unconventional Outdoor Games from Different Countries
What are kids playing outdoors in various areas of the world? We’ve been exchanging ideas and came up with a source of games to try.

Understanding Pronunciation Development in Multilingual Kids
This blog post explores the research behind pronunciation development in multilingual kids, with a focus on English, German, and Portuguese, offering insights and practical considerations for parents navigating this path abroad.

Parent heartbreak when kids prefer the dominant local language over heritage ones
Raising multilingual children as an expat is a deeply personal and often emotional journey, and one of the most poignant pain points is the heartbreak parents feel when their children gravitate toward the dominant local language at the expense of their heritage languages.

5 Ways to Help Your Third-Culture-Kid Embrace Their Mixed Identity
Raising a Third Culture Kid (TCK)—a child who grows up immersed in cultures outside of their parents’ own—comes with its own set of joys and challenges. These kids often navigate a beautiful but complex mix of identities, blending traditions, languages, and values from multiple worlds.

Alphabet-Books for early literacy exposure
I want to share our favourite alphabet-books to get familiar with the letters. I’ll talk about alphabet books for English, German, and Portuguese.

Navigating the Melting Pot: Overcoming Challenges in Multicultural, Multilingual Homes
In this post, you'll find a personal exploration of the challenges and ingenious solutions couples have discovered to unite their multifaceted worlds, turning potential conflicts into opportunities for authentic connection.

What to Say When Family Questions Your Multilingual Journey
Picture this: You’re at a family gathering, beaming as your 3-year-old switches effortlessly between your native language, your partner’s, and a few English words they’ve picked up from playdates. It’s a proud moment—until your well-meaning aunt pulls you aside and asks, “Aren’t you worried that all these languages will confuse the poor child?”

Curriculum Choices: Structured vs. Unstructured Language Learning for Multilingual Children Abroad
This blog post explores the research behind structured and unstructured language learning, weighing their benefits, challenges, and practical applications to help parents make informed curriculum choices.

Emotional Learning and Crafts with "Happy” by Mies van Hout
Our Homeschool session focussed on exploring emotions and expressions with the help of the book “Happy” by Mies van Hout.