Bilingualism is a prized commodity these days, and parents wanting to learn a few extra tips on how to help their children retain their second language are in luck.

The Research Unit for Multilingualism and Cross-Cultural Communication (RUMACCC) of the School of Languages and Linguistics at The University of Melbourne is hosting their popular seminar on ‘raising children in more than one language’ on December 7.

The four-hour seminar will be presented by experts in the field Dr Susanne Döpke and Professor John Hajek, and will focus on key areas like children attending bilingual schools, debunking issues of bilingualism, and practical suggestions on how to help your child learn your language.

The forum will also discuss the use of sending your child to a bilingual kindergarten or primary school, with Camberwell Primary School deputy principal Janet Gale, who has led the school’s bilingual French program, speaking on the topic.

Continuing from that, Averil Grieve will help explain how to manage children moving from being taught at a bilingual kindergarten to a non-bilingual primary school.

Challenging the fears of teaching children languages other than English will be the main focus of the seminar, with a number of lectures addressing how to overcome Australia’s ‘monolingual mindset’.

Children growing up bilingual have been found to do better in English, literacy and numeracy, debunking a common myth that children end up starting school with lower English skills than their peers thanks to their brains battling the two languages.

Bilingual speakers have better problem solving skills, a more open view of the world and delay the onset of dementia by four years.

The free seminar, ‘Raising Children in More Than One Language’ will be held on December 7, from 12.30 pm to 5.00 pm, in the Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, Cnr Swanston St and Monash Rd, University of Melbourne.

All those wishing to attend will need to pre-register by visiting rumaccc.unimelb.edu.au

For more information on the seminar, visit http://rumaccc.unimelb.edu.au/sites/rumaccc.unimelb.edu.au/files/Raising…