'A wonderful opportunity': The adventure of raising bilingual children

'A wonderful opportunity': The adventure of raising bilingual children BBC/Getty Images There are many different ways to expose your child to two languages and no single approach has been found to be the best one Isabelle Gerretsen, who grew up speaking Dutch and English, investigates the latest science on helping children become fluent in two or more languages – including advice for parents who speak one language but would like their children to be multilingual. BBC/Getty Images Research shows that babies start learning language before they are even born There are actually many different ways to expose your child to two languages and no single approach has been found to be the best one, says Viorica Marian, author of the Power of Language and professor of communication sciences and disorders at Northwestern University in Illinois, in the US. Starting at a young age allows children to "be fully immersed" in both languages, says Antonella Sorace, professor of developmental linguistics and founder of the Bilingualism Matters programme, a research and information centre at the University of Edinburgh, in the UK, that promotes bilingualism and language learning. One way of encouraging children's bilingualism is by creating a "mini community" with peers who speak their language – Antonella Sorace Environment plays an important role and constant exposure to both languages is key, agrees Elisabet García González, research fellow at the Center for Multilingualism in Society Across the Lifespan at the University of Oslo in Norway.