Bilingual Parenting Workshop at Bernardsville Library

Are you already raising bilingual kids? Are you thinking about it? Would you like to do it, but can’t find the time for it? If your answer to any of these questions is a “yes,” then come to Bernardsville Public Library on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00 pm when Dr. Veronika Laughlin will give an introduction to what it means to be bilingual and how parents can support their children’s bilingual development—whether they as parents are bilingual or monolingual.

During the program, listeners will learn about advantages and benefits of being bilingual. Dr. Laughlin will explore common myths about bilingualism in our current society and discuss daily challenges of raising children with multiple languages. There will be language tips and strategies as well as ideas for games and activities that parents can incorporate into their busy schedules in order to guide a child’s bilingual journey.

Dr. Veronika Laughlin grew up in Germany as a monolingual German. She started to develop an affinity for different languages and cultures in school and spent time as a student in England, Mexico, and the United States—studying and teaching German, English, and Spanish. Eventually she turned her passion for languages into a job. After graduating with a PhD in TESOL, she joined Educational Testing Service in Princeton as a research scientist, working in English Language Learning and Assessment. She has published several books and papers about teaching and learning second languages.

When she became a mom in 2016, Dr. Laughlin started to get more and more questions from other parents about raising children with multiple languages. She started a blog earlier this year about multilingual parenting, www.bilingual-babies.com. On that blog, Dr. Laughlin shares thoughts, ideas, and strategies based on her own experiences and on the latest research in the area of children’s bilingual development.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.