Reading with children is key, says researcher in response to Hong Kong parents’ fears about bilingual environment
Oxford University Press poll shows almost 80 pc speak to toddlers in both English and Chinese, but over 70 pc worry this will have negative impact on language skills
Almost 80 per cent of Hong Kong parents speak to their toddlers in both Chinese and English, but over 70 per cent of them worry that this may have a negative impact on their children’s language development, a new survey found.
The poll carried out by Oxford University Press also found that 69 per cent of the 681 respondents, who were first-time parents with children aged 0 to five, spent less than 15 minutes every day reading with their children.
Lead researcher Dr Richard Wong Kwok-shing, assistant professor at the Institute of Education’s department of early childhood education, said that if parents spent at least half an hour reading with their toddlers every day for them to accumulate enough vocabulary, a bilingual environment would not have a negative impact on children.
“Reading, singing, casual conversations and playing are all good ways for very young children to learn languages,” Wong said.
“The most important thing is for children to learn without knowing they are learning,” he added.