Expose your infant to the sounds of a foreign language. Multicultural songs soothe your little one to sleep while enhancing brain and language development.
It's never too early to teach your child another language. Help your baby drift off to sleep to the sounds of French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and many other languages. International lullaby CDs offer a soothing introduction to languages and cultures for the littlest language learners.
Rationale for Early Foreign Language Exposure
According to a recent study by linguistic psychologists at Bristol University, babies who hear foreign speech will find it easier to learn those foreign languages later in life. During an infant's first nine months of life, the brain is in a natural stage of "programming," or storing the key sounds that it will be able to recognize in the future.
This programming window does not stay open for long. By the age of six months, babies who have heard only one language will be able to recognize vowel sounds from only that language. By nine or ten months, they will recognize consonants from just that language.
A study at the University of Washington supports these findings, too. Researchers found that babies who heard one hour of Chinese each week had an easier time recognizing Chinese sounds when they were older.
Multilingual and Multicultural Lullaby CDs
Music is a natural and appropriate way to expose your baby to foreign language sounds. Play CDs during playtime, naptime, or before bed. Choose calming, comforting songs that you and your infant both enjoy. Here is a guide to international lullaby CDs that offer a variety of languages for your baby's developing brain:
Multicultural Lullabies Around the World--Sara Jordan [Music Little People, 1994]. Winner of a Parents' Choice Silver Award and Director's Choice Award. 11 lullabies in 10 different languages sung by native speakers and translated into English.
Lullaby: A Collection CD [Music Little People, 1994]. Winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Award and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. 12 multicultural lullabies by various artists.
Siente: Night Songs from Around the World by classical guitarist, Hilary Field and vocalist, Patrice O'Neille [Yellow Tail Records, 2007]. Winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Medal, 2007 iParenting Media Award of Excellence, and "Best Music Pick" by Parenting Magazine. 13 songs from around the world sung in their native tongue.
Planet Sleeps [Sony, 1997]. Enhanced CD containing audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Nominated for 1998 Grammy for Best Recording Package. A portion of the proceeds is donated to UNICEF. Music from 16 countries by various native artists.
Dreamland World Lullabies and Soothing Songs [Putumayo, 2003]. A portion of the proceeds from this CD are donated to the Putumayo Cross-Cultural Initiative. 13 tracks by various native artists.
The Lullaby Project, International Volume 1. 20 songs from around the world, recorded by The Lullaby Project, a non-profit organization from New Mexico dedicated to preserving and disseminating lullabies of all languages and cultures.
Enjoy the sounds of music and languages from around the globe along with your baby. Good Night. Bonne Nuit. Buenes Noches. Gute Nacht.
Most of these lullaby CDs are available online at Amazon and other sites.
Resources: The Telegraph (UK) website
