Multilingualism and Language Development: How to Support Your Child

Parents often ask if speaking their native language at home will confuse their children or if it will make it harder for them to learn English.

As Speech Pathologists, we know all about the benefits of encouraging cultural and linguistic diversity in children, and we are passionate about supporting children who are exposed to multiple languages to become the best communicators they can be.

What is multilingualism?

Many of us are familiar with the term “bilingual”, which means to speak two languages. However, another term that is being used more commonly these days is “multilingual”, which means to speak two or more languages.

This term better reflects the language environment of the modern world, where two-thirds of the population speaks more than one language.

In fact, in some parts of the world, including right here in Australia, people may speak up to five or six different languages! While multilingualism is very common, many of its benefits are largely unknown.  

Benefits of multilingualism

Research shows that multilingual children have advantages across learning, social skills, and emotional wellbeing. Multilingualism is associated with:

• Improved Learning Skills: Stronger attention, problem-solving, phonological awareness (awareness of sounds in words), vocabulary development, time management, and organisation skills.
• Enhanced Social and Emotional Development: Children can connect deeply with family, community, and culture. They often develop a strong sense of identity, higher self-esteem, and greater empathy for others.

What if my child is having difficulty learning language?

Sometimes, when children show language delays, parents are told to only speak English at home.
While this advice is well-meaning, there is no scientific evidence supporting the idea that switching to English alone will help.

In fact, removing a home language can disadvantage a child's emotional development and limit the benefits of multilingualism.

Speech Pathologists recommend that children — even those with delays — continue hearing and using all languages spoken in their family and community.

How to Support Language Development in a Multilingual Child

You don’t need a special method — the same good communication strategies apply for all children.
To support your child's skills in any (or all) languages, try the following:

1. Include Your Child in Conversations

Use the natural language of your group.
Children feel included, valued, and motivated to participate when they hear and share their home language.

2. Get Face-to-Face

Position yourself where your child can see your face, mouth, and eyes clearly while you speak.
This helps with understanding both language and social communication skills.

3. Share Stories

Look for books available in both English and your home language.
Seeing the same story in two languages strengthens children's awareness of sounds, words, and meaning.

4. Sing Songs and Rhymes

Many children's songs have versions in different languages.
Singing is a fantastic way to build memory, rhythm, vocabulary, and language awareness.

5. Use Visuals and Gestures

Adding hand gestures, actions, and pictures helps your child connect words across languages — and between language and the real world.

Multilingualism and Speech Pathology

Even if a Speech Pathologist does not speak your home language, they are trained to:

• Work in culturally responsive ways
• Respect and include all languages spoken by a child
• Provide practical strategies to help develop skills across all languages

Your child's home language is an asset, not a barrier.

If you're raising a multilingual child and want guidance, a Speech Pathologist can help you support their best possible communication journey.

Need Support for Your Multilingual Child?

At Care Speech Pathology, we specialise in working with multilingual families. We can support your child's speech and language development — while celebrating every language they know and love.

We offer:
✅ Initial speech and language assessments
✅ Tailored therapy programs that respect multilingual environments
✅ Parent coaching to support language development at home

To book an Initial Consultation with a Speech Pathologist from our team, please contact us on 1300 086 280 or Book your consultation online today.

References

Byers-Heinlein, K., & Lew-Williams, C. (2013). Bilingualism in the early years: What the science says. LEARNing landscapes, 7(1), 95.