هدهدو Hudhudo
The generation of tomorrow
Raising a bilingual child: Arabic at home, Dutch at school
Many children in the Netherlands grow up with two languages. Practical tips to keep Arabic alive at home, without pressure, while your child learns Dutch at school.
Two languages are not a burden
Many children in the Netherlands grow up with two or more languages: the language of home and the language of school. That is perfectly ordinary. What matters is that your child hears each language enough and actually uses it.
Worried about your child's language development? Talk to the consultatiebureau (child health clinic) or your child's teacher. They know your child and can give advice that fits your family.
Choose a fixed approach at home
Many families choose a simple rule: Arabic at home, Dutch outside. In other families each parent always speaks their own language with the child. There is no single right way; what matters is that the approach is consistent and clear to your child.
Does one parent not speak Arabic? No problem. It is enough for the other parent to speak it with your child regularly, and for the parent who doesn't understand everything to still be part of the conversation.
Dialect at home, Standard Arabic for reading
Many families speak a dialect at home, such as Moroccan, Egyptian or Syrian Arabic. That is fine: the dialect is the language of family and feeling. Speak it freely.
Reading and writing usually happen in Standard Arabic (fusha), the language of the Quran and of books. The script is the same: the letters and sounds your child learns serve both.
Make Arabic fun and useful
A child learns the language it needs. So give Arabic a place in your child's daily life: a video call with grandma, a bedtime story, a song in the car, or cooking together and learning the names of things.
Picture books in Arabic and stories from your own childhood connect the language with good memories rather than with homework.
When your child answers in Dutch
It often happens that a child understands Arabic but answers in Dutch, especially once it starts school. That is normal: Dutch has become the language of school and friends.
Don't punish your child for it and don't laugh at it. Answer calmly in Arabic, kindly repeat the sentence in Arabic, and praise your child when it uses an Arabic word. Patience works better than pressure here.
Reading: start with the letters
Speaking is one thing, reading is another. Want your child to learn to read Arabic? Start with the letters and their sounds, in small steps, ten minutes a day.
Does your child go to a weekend school or a class at the mosque? Ask the teacher what it can repeat at home, so what your child learns there connects with what you do together.
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