12 tips to develop the dual culture

As parents to 2 little dual citizens, we do not wish to stop at our daughters just being bilingual. We want them to be bicultural too. To us, it is equally important that when they go to their dad’s home country, they are not only able to communicate with their relatives, but also that they know what people are on about and feel part of it.

Just like working on our children’s bilingualism, we can also work on their dual culture all year round, and not just when on holidays back in the minority language country. Here are some tips you might want to consider:

1. Cooking dishes from your minority language country on a regular basis – Last summer, their grand-mother repeatedly prepared natillas  for my girls and gave us a few spare sachets to take home as she would not make any for herself. My daughters’ reaction at finding their summer treat in their Majority Language plate was priceless! It made my husband so happy that he took the initiative to look up a home-made recipe for it and has been making them on a regular basis (roughly monthly) ever since.  My husband really picked up from this experience, and since then has tried making more sophisticated minority language dishes such as Paëllas, arroz negro and Fideuás, besides our regular tortilla española.
2. Celebrating minority language celebrations – And if you get the opportunity sometime in your children’s lifetime, take them to the minority language country to celebrate it there.  Last Christmas, we left our elder daughter an extra week at her grand-parents in Spain so she could attend the Epiphany celebrations and relate to all the “3 Kings” fuss made all around her during her stay by her family and television.  When we do not have the chance to be there, we still have our children put their slippers below the Christmas tree the eve of January 6th, with 3 glasses of milk for the 3 Kings and their camels and in the morning they find empty glasses and a few presents brought to them by the 3 Kings (who travel even outside of Spain to deliver presents to little Spanish children living abroad… 😉 ).
3. View some of your minority language celebrations on television – If you have access to minority language television, use it to view local celebrations and get a “feel” (no matter how distant it is).  For instance, every summer, we love watching the setting free of bulls on the streets of the Spanish city of Pamplona, as part of the internationally renowned San Fermines celebrations.  My girls are very impressed at the sight of these beautiful creatures careering down the streets, and for them they almost feel the celebration and like watching those couple of minutes just before leaving for school.
4. Use minority language idioms and expressions – Recently, a trilingual mum shared with me an adorable anecdote with her son to whom she speaks in Spanish whilst living here in France.  She told him “échame una mano” (to give her a hand) with something, and the little one, instead of helping her, literally held his hand out to her as in French there is no such expression.  Hence the importance to use these unusual idioms for them to learn them early, and not feel at a lose later on in life.
5. Use minority language myths – for the anglo-saxons, we talk of the tooth-fairy, whilst in France we talk of “the little mouse” (petite souris) and in Spain of “el ratoncito Pérez”.  Whatever your origin, think about using these little children’s myths.
6. When selecting books, try to pick very typical ones form the minority language country – Some might even be adapted for younger readers, for instance “Quien es Don Quijote de la Mancha” is a children version of the very famous Spanish book “Don Quijote de La Mancha” by Miguel Cervantes
7. When travelling to the minority language country, try to bring back things you can use in the Majority Language country during the year – For example, we bring back Fideuá noodles, typical Spanish cheese and ham vacuum-packed that we can eat over the following months. It enables to include this part of our minority culinary culture into our daily life.
8. Have the minority language grandparents involved, sending a parcel with typical things from your minority language country – Whether on a regular basis or as a Christmas treat, parcels with goodies from your minority language country can be an event the whole family can look forward to.
9. Games from the minority language country – Some games go over general knowledge topics and might be a source of culture for your children. For instance, games on your minority language country’s history (e.g: “British History” Brainbox if you are British) or around your country (e.g: “Around the UK” Brainbox  or “Conocer España” if you are from Britain or Spain )
10. Listen to minority language music – At home and in the car, play minority language music; not just children’s music but also adult pop and folklore. My daughters have learnt to listen and even enjoy flamenco music for instance. My eldest even has her favourite Spanish song in the car and will sing along to its chorus. So do not limit yourself to nursery rhymes!
11. Regularly watch the minority language television – If you have the chance to have access to it, make the most of it. It does not mean you should just watch anything, but maybe watching the trendy programme and listening to the news programme will help keeping in touch with what is being seen back in the minority language country.
12. Support your minority language sports team during major events such as World Cup championships – With the football World Cup coming up, why not put up your flag and organise a family time to watch your minority language national team playing?  For older children, you could also purchase some of these sticker albums with the national football teams or arrange activities around the theme!

Have you got any tips to share on how you work on your child’s dual-culture all year round?