Entre Dos Podcast

Why do some children who grow up hearing two languages only use one? Our guest, Dr. Annick De Houwer, has been researching this question for years. De Houwer is a professor of language acquisition and multilingualism at the University of Erfurt in Germany and the founder of the Harmonious Bilingualism Network (HaBilNet). We spoke to … Continue reading "Harmonious Bilingualism: A Chat with Dr. Annick De Houwer"

Welcome to the first episode of Cuéntamelo: Your Bilingual Story, a series by Entre Dos in which we speak to parents, small business owners, authors, and others about their bilingual life. These episodes may be shorter than our regular episodes and a bit more personal. Today’s inaugural episode is different than what you’re accustomed to … Continue reading "Cuéntamelo: Maleta Books"

In our first episode of 2021, we had a conversation with author Sabreet Kang Rajeev about her book, Generation Zero: Reclaiming My Parents’ American Dream, which tackles her family’s immigration story in America. Identity and place can sometimes be abstract notions. They define who we are while also remaining elusive. In the process of integrating … Continue reading "Generation Zero"

Raising children with two languages and cultures may sometimes feel like a constant negotiation between the two. In this episode, writer Masha Rumer talked to her about her experience raising English-Russian bilingual children in the U.S. Masha lives in the Bay Area, where she writes about parenting and the immigrant experience. She is currently writing … Continue reading "Parenting with an accent: A conversation with writer Masha Rumer"

In the past few weeks, the topic of the 2020-21 school year has reached a fever pitch, with good reason. As we pay close attention to the discussions surrounding PPE, social distancing, hybrid and virtual models, one thing that seems to be missing from most discussions is efforts to ensure continuity in the many dual-language … Continue reading "Dual Language Programs in the Pandemic: The story of Naperville 203."

Advocating for our children is an inherent part of parenting. We do it every single day in both big and small ways. We know bilingualism is good and we want it for our children. So how can we advocate to make languages more accessible in our communities? In this episode, we begin exploring how you … Continue reading "Advocating for Bilingualism: A Call to Action"

If you listen to this podcast, you probably have a language vision or goal for your family. Our guest, Madalena Xanthopoulou, founded We Live Languages to help multilingual families reach those goals by translating research into actionable steps. Madalena is trilingual and raising trilingual kids. She shared some very useful ideas for families to increase … Continue reading "We Live Languages: A talk with Madalena Xanthopoulou"

Sisters Janike and Alexis Ruginis started their own small book press when they realized there was a lack of Spanish-language books for young children in the U.S. Veoleo published its first book, ¿Dónde está el coquí? in 2018 and it’s currently working on two new books aimed at bilingual little ones. In this episode, we … Continue reading "Veoleo: Bringing kids programming to a screen near you"

Moving to another country where you don’t know the language can be challenging. Today’s guest, Elizabeth Quintal, did just that. Two-and-a-half years ago, she moved from Houston, Texas to Madrid, Spain with her husband and son, Grayson. We spoke to her about the transition and how they’re managing the strict lockdown due to COVID-19. You … Continue reading "Language learning, family-style"

Having a community of support is such an essential part of raising bilingual children. Depending on the area you live in, finding that community can be hard – but it is possible to create your own.  Johanna Arteaga is the founder of Moco y Baba, a community of Spanish-speaking families in London. She also recently launched Cuéntamelo … Continue reading "Moco y Baba: A grassroots language community"

In this episode, we spoke to Dr. Jackie Relyea, assistant professor of Literacy Education at North Carolina State University. Her research looked at English reading growth in Spanish-speaking bilinguals. Additional Reading Reading in any Language Improves Reading Levels in English, Language Magazine, Sep. 27, 2019 English Reading Growth in Spanish‐Speaking Bilingual Students: Moderating Effect of … Continue reading "Effects of Bilingualism on English Reading Ability"

We’re in the midst of the holiday season and with that, all of the traditions that make them special. In this episode, we wanted to showcase traditions from our listeners, specifically the ones that help keep the heritage language and culture alive. This will be our final episode of 2019. In the meantime, find us … Continue reading "Your Holiday Traditions"

In this episode, we talk to Joanna Rudnick, an Emmy nominated director and producer who is currently working on a documentary exploring the power and reach of children’s picture books: “Story & Pictures By.” The film follows three contemporary children’s book authors/illustrators – Mac Barnett, Christian Robinson and Yuyi Morales – as they craft new … Continue reading "“Story & Pictures By” – A Chat with Joanna Rudnick"

In one of our earliest episodes, Spanish is like a warm croqueta, we spoke about what we had done in our homes up to that point to foster our daughter’s burgeoning Spanish. Recently, we listened to it again and it struck us how different things feel now, so we decide to record an update on … Continue reading "¡Descarga!"

We know that giving bilingual children exposure in the minority language is crucial for their language development, but for some parents speaking their heritage language to their children in an English-dominant society is challenging. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Melissa Baralt, an associate professor of applied psycholinguistics at Florida International University, and the … Continue reading "Habláme Bebé: A Chat with Dr. Melissa Baralt"

Have you ever thought of the U.S. as a Spanish-speaking country? Our guest, Emily Hunsberger, a bilingual communications professional, mom of bilingual kids, and host of Tertulia Podcast, does. In today’s episode, she spoke to us about embracing and changing the perception of Spanish spoken in the U.S. – the Spanish that our children are … Continue reading "What Kind of Spanish Do You Speak? The U.S. as a Spanish-Speaking Country"

Our perceptions about what kind of bilingual we want our kids to be are rooted in what we feel is acceptable Spanish. But where do these ideas of what is “correct” or “incorrect” come from? In this episode, we speak to Salvatore Callesano, a sociolinguistic researcher and instructor at The University of Texas at Austin, … Continue reading "What Kind of Spanish Do You Speak? Language and Social Perceptions"

Is being bilingual/multilingual an advantage for cognitive development? The answer is not straightforward. You’ve likely heard about the bilingual advantage, this idea that people who have two or more languages develop cognitive advantages, particularly within the realm of executive function which is responsible for things like attention and task-switching. Research to date has yielded conflicting … Continue reading "The Bilingual Advantage: A Research Update"

As mothers of relatively young children, a lot of the conversations we have are about what will become of our bilingual, bicultural children’s future. For this episode, we called on Maritere Bellas, an award-winning author and parenting expert, who raised bilingual and bicultural children in Los Angeles, to share with us her wisdom and experience. … Continue reading "A Conversation with Parenting Expert Maritere Bellas"

In this episode of What We Love/Lo Que Más Nos Gusta, we talk to Carolina Quiroga-Stultz about her podcast: Tres Cuentos. In Tres Cuentos, which means three stories, Carolina tells stories, myths and legends from Latin America in Spanish and English. While most of the stories on Tres Cuentos are geared toward older children and … Continue reading "What We Love: Tres Cuentos Podcast"

Public libraries are one of our nation’s most important resources. They support literacy, act as an inclusive gathering space for the community, and provide a plethora of public services. In this episode, we dive into how public libraries have been supporting bilingual families and how they can support you in your community. We hear from … Continue reading "Public libraries: Allies for bilingual families"

A common misconception or myth about bilingualism is that it causes speech language delays. In this episode, Claudia Serrano Johnson, a speech language pathologist (SLP) and founder of Laleo Therapy in Virginia breaks down these misconceptions and shares red flags parents should look out for in their child’s speech language development. You’ll also hear the … Continue reading "Bilingualism and Speech Delays: Dispelling Myths"

How do you get your kids to engage with you in the target language? We don’t mean utilitarian exchanges about snacks or watching five more minutes of cartoons but actual conversations about interesting topics, concepts or just life, really. It’s not as easy as it sounds, with our day-to-day lives we find ourselves not interacting … Continue reading "What We Love: Conversation Starters"

In Part Two of our conversation with Fabrice Jaumont – a French educator, researcher and the author of the book The Bilingual Revolution – we talk about what drives parents to undertake the efforts needed to establish dual language education programs and what you can do to get started. We also discuss common misconceptions about … Continue reading "The Bilingual Revolution, Part II"

Dual language education can be a good way to both sustain a cultural heritage and acquire a second language. But if you’ve spent any time looking into these programs, you may have found that they are not easy to get into or they simply don’t exist where you live. In this episode, we speak to … Continue reading "The Bilingual Revolution, Part I"

Are your motivations for raising bilingual children emotional or pragmatic? Maybe a little bit of both? We had an interesting conversation with Sabine Little, Lecturer in Languages Education and Researcher at the University of Sheffield, where her research explores the ties between heritage languages and identity. Sabine’s work also shines a light on how families … Continue reading "On Heritage, Language and Identity"

If you’re raising bilingual children, you’ve likely heard the word exposure over and over again. We need to give our kids exposure to the target language, right? But what is exposure? How is it defined in the context of bilingualism? And more importantly, how much is enough? Does quality matter more than quantity? In this … Continue reading "A Matter of Exposure"

Welcome to our final show of the year! In this episode, we talk about our holiday traditions and look back at the most important lessons we’ve learned so far while making the show. We are so lucky to have you as our listeners and are working hard on our  2019 episode lineup. You can stay connected with us during the holiday break on social media. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @entredospodcast. And don’t forget to join our Facebook Group to … Continue reading "Happy Holidays! Our last episode of 2018."

Music is one of the easiest ways to start building a connection to language. Even if you’re not a musical person, there’s a universality to music that makes it an effective tool for transferring knowledge. We’ve seen it in our homes. In this episode, we spoke to Dr. Susanne Reiterer, associate professor at the Faculty … Continue reading "Music and Bilingualism"

What does your bilingual family look like? Do you speak only the minority language at home? Do you speak both English and the target language? Do you speak English-only? In this episode, we explore how these family dynamics influence outcomes in bilingualism. Joining us to discuss this is Dr. Anny Castilla-Earls from the University of Houston, … Continue reading "Family Dynamics and Bilingualism"

This week on Entre Dos, we talk to Aileen Passariello-McAleer, of Mama-Lingua. She talks to us about her app, which is aimed at teaching both parents and kids Spanish, as well as her new book Simon Goes To School, which tackles the joys and challenges of attending a dual language school. You’ll hear Aileen give advice about … Continue reading "Learning Spanish with the Kids"

This week on Entre Dos, we talk to Catalina Burton, author of the blog Raising Bilingual Children. There, Catalina chronicles her experiences homeschooling her four-year-old daughter, Mia. In this episode, Catalina talks to us about her family, why she chose to homeschool and what resources she has found helpful in homeschooling her daughter. She also … Continue reading "Bilingual Homeschooling"

We talked to poet and children’s book author, Jorge Tetl Argueta, about why he writes for children and his passion for promoting literacy. Argueta’s poems give us a glimpse of communities that are often misrepresented, erased, and dehumanized in U.S. American literature. His books, which center mostly around his homeland of El Salvador, offer a … Continue reading "Author Spotlight: Jorge Tetl Argueta and his library of dreams"

Paula’s cousin, Juliana, talks about her experience growing up between two cultures. Juli, as she’s affectionately known in her family, was born in the U.S. to a Colombian family. She grew up in Katy, Texas, her first language was Spanish and she attended a dual-language elementary school program, but as she grew older, she began … Continue reading "Growing Up Between Two Cultures"

In this special episode, Monika and Paula share some of their favorite books in Spanish for babies and young toddlers, and give a few tips on how to choose books for the younger crowd. It’s part of a series we’ll call What We Love/Lo Que Más Nos Gusta. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Mis Amigos by … Continue reading "What We Love: Bebé’s First Library"

What goes on in our brains when we speak more than one language? Dr. Arturo Hernandez, a professor of psychology and Director of the Laboratory for the Neural Bases of Bilingualism at the University of Houston, has spent 15 years investigating bilingual language processing and acquisition. This week, in the second part of our interview, … Continue reading "Decoding the Bilingual Brain: Part II"

What goes on in our brains when we speak more than one language? Dr. Arturo Hernandez, a professor of psychology and Director of the Laboratory for the Neural Bases of Bilingualism at the University of Houston, has spent 15 years investigating bilingual language processing and acquisition. This week, in the first part of our two-part … Continue reading "Decoding the Bilingual Brain: Part I"

The excitement of the World Cup goes beyond futbol. It’s a time every four years when for 90 minutes a stranger may become your best friend, when families and people from all walks of life gather around the television to watch their country’s team play its heart out, when a goal, a win or a nice … Continue reading "El Mundial"

Reading has many benefits for children, and for bilingual children, reading in the language you’re trying to teach them is a fun, effortless way to help develop and maintain that language. For us at Entre Dos, reading has been an invaluable tool in developing our daughters’ Spanish. In this week’s episode, we speak to Vanessa … Continue reading "Raising Bilingual Readers"

Music is a useful tool to expose kids to language and culture. Singing to or with your child is not only fun, it’s also a way to connect and introduce words, concepts, and sounds. Susie Jaramillo is the co-founder of Canticos, a company that creates bilingual books, apps and videos for young children based on … Continue reading "Canticos: Sharing culture and building connections through music"

Mami, quiero raspberries. Statements like these may make you worry about your child’s grasp of the language you’re working so hard to teach him or her, but much of what worries us as parents of bilingual children is typical of their development. What is expected bilingual development? And what can we as parents do to … Continue reading "Frambuesa or Raspberry? Expert Anny Castilla-Earls tells us what we can expect from an emergent bilingual mind"

In this episode, we talk about the joys and challenges of raising our bilingual and bi-cultural daughters. We discuss what has worked, what worries us and how dreaming in Spanish can be a cause for celebration.