Italiano!

The 4 kiddos started Italian lessons this week! I was so excited to find a native speaker who was willing to come to our home to teach. She was wonderful! The kids were so enthusiastic and were very eager to participate. They have been practicing their colors since the lesson and will be ready for next week.

I am happy to be able to give the kids a taste of their heritage and culture, so much of which has been lost over the years as 3 of my 4 grandparents are now gone. My mom's parents were born in Italy and her first language naturally was Italian, but by the time my generation arrived, my grandparents spoke fluent English. I can understand far more than I can speak and of course, from my Italian classes in high school, I can conjugate verbs, but not much else! My dad's parents' first language was Italian, as well, but were born here and spoke English. I think knowledge of a foreign language is great for kids, and especially at such a young age, when they absorb it like a sponge. I think, from what I have read, that they are still in the "window" for new language acquisition.

I hope their interest and desire to learn Italian continues! I loved that they told me how much fun they had. When kids have fun, they will learn and more importantly, they will remember.

Ciao and Buona Notte!