Resources & Tips
Welcome!
Raising a bilingual (or multilingual) child is hard! We have assembled some other resources beyond our Wand & Books ... that include stories, tips, lists - and posted them here in hopes they can be helpful for you! xo, H&AL
We invite you to explore...
Our collection of (free) Printables
Helpful lists like library storytimes
Other families' stories about their own multilingual journeys
Examples of how others are using Habbi Habbi (#HabbiHabits)
....and more!
Habbi Habbi's (free) Printables library
We are so happy to supplement our Habbi Habbi bilingual book library with *free* Printables for you to print out and enjoy!
They're a great way to practice Chinese or Spanish, as well as skills like tracing, matching, grouping, reading, writing, math & more! We love using them at home during independent play or quiet time, and on the go for travel or at restaurants.
Why Mandarin is a must in this mixed-race, English-speaking family
We were inspired to interview Stephanie after watching a video about her journey with her husband, Kyle (“How my parents nearly disowned me for being with the love of my life.”)
We loved listening to her story and how it has impacted how she is raising her son - the role of her heritage, culture, and the Chinese language.
A Spanish teacher's tips for building a bilingual home
"It’s not about taking a Spanish class or even learning the Spanish language - it’s about building a bilingual, bicultural home."
We couldn't love this quote more and were so inspired after speaking to Naomi, mom of twin girls and Spanish teacher - hearing about her own multilingual journey (German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish), what language learning means for her, and her tips for families looking to build a bilingual home.
Browse other resources by topic
Learn Chinese
Learn Spanish
Play-Based Activities
Printables (Free!)
Read stories of other multilingual families
Non-Native Families
ABC / CBC / BBC Families
Spanish speaking Families
Mixed Heritage Families
See full collection of posts
A Spanish teacher’s tips for building a bilingual home
"It’s not about taking a Spanish class or even learning the Spanish language - it’s about building a bilingual, bicultural home." We couldn't love this quote more. We were so inspired after speaking to Naomi, mom of twin girls and Spanish teacher - hearing about her own multilingual journey (German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish), what language learning means for her, and her tips for families looking to build a bilingual home.
Why Mandarin is a must for this mixed-race family
We were inspired to interview Stephanie after watching a video about her journey with her non-Asian (half White, half Black) husband, Kyle (“How my parents nearly disowned me for being with the love of my life.”) While he is now a much-loved member of her family, it didn’t start out that way. We loved listening to her story and how it has impacted how she is raising her son - the role of her heritage, culture, and the Chinese language.
Naming family members in Chinese is so complicated!
Our family tree printable is here to help
Can’t keep track of all the different family member names in Mandarin? Neither can we! So, we thought it would be both fun and very useful to make this family tree activity + flashcard set of all the different family member names. Print them out, draw in your family members, and arrange them into your own tree!
Back-to-School Q&A: Your top questions answered by a speech therapy expert & mom
We sat down with one of our favorite friends - speech therapist and bilingual mom Grace - to get her thoughts on your top 3 questions on back-to-school bilingual learning ... FAQ 1: I am anxious about English replacing the minority language …FAQ 2: I want to set up a more immersive bilingual environment … FAQ 3: I want to participate and support but am not bilingual myself …
Building an immersive, bilingual home
with our Home (& other) Printables!
We talk a lot about the importance of exposure and how our whole Wand & Book series is predicated on maximizing exposure while kids play. So we thought it would be both fun and useful to provide something you can use to create a physical bilingual environment - with labels that can be cut out and pasted around the house, reminding kids of their Chinese and Spanish vocabulary as they go through the day.
![Bilingual Storytime in the Bay Area & Beyond <br> [VIRTUAL edition]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0021/2231/7888/articles/Valicia_4x3_2e23378e-9c7d-404f-81b8-131598ba5ce0.jpg?v=1625858903)
Bilingual Storytime in the Bay Area & Beyond
[VIRTUAL edition]
We are big fans of storytime at local libraries and bookstores! It was a favorite pastime (pre-COVID), especially when our little ones hadn't yet started school. Unfortunately, many have paused due to the pandemic. But there are a few libraries that are offering virtual options, and for those who are comfortable incorporating a little screen time, we created a short list. We hope it is useful!
Looking for a Bilingual, Spanish-speaking Nanny?
5 Ways to Increase Immersion at Home
A fellow mom asked us for tips to increase exposure with her Spanish-speaking nanny. It was a good reminder that creating an enriching language learning environment at home doesn’t end with just “finding” a bilingual caregiver; you can create a much richer environment by thoughtfully partnering with that caregiver. So, we thought it might be helpful to share some ideas, for those who are lucky enough to have one.
Habbi Habbi (Free) Printables
We are so happy to supplement our Habbi Habbi library with *free* Printables for you to print out and enjoy! They're a great way to practice Chinese or Spanish, as well as skills like tracing, matching, grouping, reading, writing, math & more!
5 ways for kids to practice Spanish (screen-free!) while traveling this summer
Summer is here! Our bags are packed, and we are visiting family - away from our kids’ immersion school, where they get the majority of their Spanish exposure )(we are an English-speaking household… and I am a Spanish beginner!). So I tried to think about a few travel-friendly, easy habits. They’re nothing huge, but I wanted to pick a few things that I know I could consistently do - to try to keep their Spanish (and mine!) going.
My kids want to speak English now that they’re in school. 5 things we’re trying to keep up their Chinese.
With schools open again, I find myself confronting a common situation for bilingual families… my kids are speaking a lot more English. So... what to do? While I don’t purport to have all the answers, I am trying a few things that seem to be working (so far!) with my eldest (5-yr old daughter) and sharing here, in case it’s helpful food for thought!
5 surprisingly easy tips for teaching language at home ... from a Mom who speaks 6 of them!
We are so inspired by Eveline's genuine love for language and appreciative of her easygoing perspectives on learning. She is familiar with Cantonese, Mandarin (Traditional & Simplified), French, Japanese, Spanish, English - and offers surprisingly simple ways for any family to get started.
Habbi Habbi Summer Reading Club
Join us for Habbi Habbi’s first Summer Reading Club - A fun virtual ‘reading club’ with prompts, posts, and prizes. A way for you to connect with other families using Habbi Habbi, to see their play moments and to share your own, should you feel so inclined!
Getting past ‘Jook-sing’: How one mom (and bookseller) is teaching her child Cantonese in a mixed-race home
Charing is a mom raising two bilingual children (Cantonese & English), in a mixed heritage family (her husband is Caucasian). We explored parent roles, success factors, resources, Cantonese vs. Mandarin, and of course, how Kozzi came about! It was such a pleasure, and we hope you love it too.
#HabbiHabits: How we use Habbi Habbi in our kitchen
[Guest Post] As non-native speakers, our family is always looking for ways to incorporate Chinese into our daily lives. It isn’t the most natural thing for us, so practice is deliberate, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. One way we’ve been slyly sneaking in Chinese play with our youngest (age 3) is by pairing her Habbi Habbi book, Foodie Friends, with our play kitchen ...
#HabbiHabits: Tips on using Habbi Habbi across ages, from a speech therapy expert and bilingual mom
We loved this chat with speech therapy expert and mom - Grace. A 5-minute conversation evolved into a much longer discussion about how she uses Habbi Habbi and how she would advise different age groups and family types to use it (e.g. native and non-native). We left the conversation with new ideas on ways to use our own product and decided to write it up, in a series on Habbi Habbi Play Habits (#HabbiHabits), in case our Habbi Habbi families find these tips helpful too.
Literacy, Independence & Enjoyment: 3 Keys to language learning from a French-Japanese Teacher
Yoshito has a fascinating profile. He’s both a foreign-language teacher and a dad, French-Japanese living in the UK, with a Korean wife, raising his sons in French, Korean, and of course English. Our conversation also sparked new food for thought, particularly on the importance and role of literacy. We hope you enjoy this interview!
Language is the heartbeat of a culture: Perspective from an American mom raising an adoptee from China
We still remember the first time we met Liz. She reached out on Instagram, expressing such gratitude and love for Habbi Habbi. As we started to chat, we were overwhelmed by her story and the recognition that our product was making a real impact for adoptive families like hers. Delving into her story was such a treat.
Finding identity in the Global Chinese Diaspora:
One mom's journey to becoming quadrilingual
We first met Dianna (@coolmumdianna) while living in Beijing and marveled at her language ability. She can effortlessly move between English, Beijing Chinese accent, Southern Taiwanese accent, Hong Kong Cantonese, and more. Just watch her YouTube videos, and you will understand what we mean! We loved reconnecting with her, reflecting on topics like identity, culture, multilingualism, and motherhood. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
Speaking Spanish in Japan:
A Global Mom Raising a Trilingual Toddler
We had so much fun speaking with Javi - we were fascinated by her @Japan.with.Chile account where she speaks a mix of English / Spanish / Japanese and labels her stories in multiple languages as well! She seemed like an example of a true global citizen, and we loved learning more about her story and her perspectives on raising a trilingual child in Japan!
Bilingual learning:
Make it fun, make it natural, make it daily
We recently met Yvonne, the mom behind Bilingual Kiddos and love how she is sharing her bilingual journey - from activities she does with her own kids to tips for us parents. We really enjoyed learning her approach to raising bilingual kids, especially her principle around keeping it fun!
Want to share your Multilingual Story with us? We would love to hear from you! DM us @behabbi or send us an email info@habbihabbi.com