Illustration of a sleeping hedgehog resting on a stack of colorful books.

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. ♡

What to Say When Family Questions Your Multilingual Journey
Melanie Koeppen Melanie Koeppen

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?”

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Literacy strategies for multilingual children
Melanie Koeppen Melanie Koeppen

Literacy strategies for multilingual children

Teaching reading and writing to a child who speaks more than one language natively since birth (a simultaneous bilingual or multilingual child) requires a thoughtful, structured approach that leverages their linguistic strengths while addressing the unique challenges of literacy in multiple languages.

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Consistent Parenting with multiple languages
Melanie Koeppen Melanie Koeppen

Consistent Parenting with multiple languages

While OPOL language strategies help with maintaining multiple languages at home, you want to create unity between parents for a consistent parenting style. Read our tips here.

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7 Truths About Bilingualism Not Everyone Knows
Melanie Koeppen Melanie Koeppen

7 Truths About Bilingualism Not Everyone Knows

Today I want to talk about 7 truths about bilingualism that are not widely known. They really give a confidence boost and equip each parent with some facts against misconceptions.

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Understanding Language Milestones in Multilingual Children
Melanie Koeppen Melanie Koeppen

Understanding Language Milestones in Multilingual Children

There is no scientific evidence that proves multilingual children speak later. Rather, language development is a complex and universal process that begins at birth, with children demonstrating an innate and remarkable ability to learn language.

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How to set up your own minority language homeschool
Melanie Koeppen Melanie Koeppen

How to set up your own minority language homeschool

When relying on minority language transmission solely at home, it is practical to think about how you can add homeschool sessions to foster and nurture your minority language(s) even more, so your child grows to love these languages (too).

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