The Grandparent in the Heritage Language

If the weekly call with Grandma is in Urdu, keep it that way.

A two-minute read, three things to try.

Where to start

Protect the time for the phone call.
Don’t translate from the background; let your child struggle and find the word.
Visit the country of origin regularly enough that it’s part of the family calendar.

The rest of the tip, and why it works, is in the library.

Source

Bilingualism Matters (University of Edinburgh), parents’ questions on raising bilingual children

It goes with

The Conversations Parents Avoid. For parents who need to tell their child something hard and don’t know how to start.

The first chapter you open here is free to read in full.

Free on this subject

Identity. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.
Attachment. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.

The rest of the library

The Parent Book is a library written by therapists: chapters on the situations parents bring to our therapy rooms most often, quick tips for tonight, things to do together, and every sheet to print. One subscription opens all of it, from the day you join.

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If you need help right now

Published by Kensington Square Therapy. Company No. 16707111. Written by therapists registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). This page is not therapy, and not a substitute for professional support. The full library is at theparentbook.com.