Dutch at Home in a Multilingual Family

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Dutch at Home in a Multilingual Family

Dutch at Home in a Multilingual Family

Raising Bilingual Children: How to Keep Dutch Alive in a Multilingual Family

For many Dutch-speaking families living abroad, multilingualism is part of everyday life. Children may grow up speaking Dutch at home, English at school, and perhaps another language with family members or friends. While raising multilingual children offers many benefits, it can also raise important questions: How do you maintain Dutch when another language dominates daily life? And what can parents do to help their children continue developing their Dutch language skills?

Research conducted by Stichting NOB (Dutch Education Worldwide) shows that many families face these challenges. To support parents, NOB is organizing a free online parent workshop on Dutch at Home in a Multilingual Family.

Why Is It Important to Maintain Dutch?

For children growing up outside the Netherlands or Belgium, maintaining Dutch helps them stay connected to their family, culture, and heritage. Strong Dutch language skills can also open doors to future educational opportunities, study programs in the Netherlands, and international careers.

Research has shown that developing a strong first language can actually support the acquisition of additional languages. Speaking Dutch at home does not hinder a child’s English, Spanish, French, or other language development—in many cases, it strengthens it.

The Reality of Raising Multilingual Children

Many families naturally use a combination of languages throughout the day. A child may speak English at school, Dutch with one parent, and another language with relatives.

Over time, however, children often begin responding more frequently in the language they use most outside the home. Summer vacations can be particularly challenging because regular exposure to Dutch may decrease.

The good news is that maintaining Dutch does not require formal lessons every day. Small, consistent moments can make a significant difference.

Practical Ways to Practice Dutch During Summer Vacation

📚 Keep Reading in Dutch

Reading is one of the most effective ways to maintain vocabulary and language skills.

Ideas include:

  • Dutch children’s books
  • Early readers and chapter books
  • Dutch comic books
  • Dutch magazines
  • Online stories
  • Audiobooks

For younger children, reading together can be especially beneficial.

🎧 Listen to Dutch Podcasts, Music, and TV

Children learn a tremendous amount simply by listening.

Popular options include:

Even a few minutes of daily exposure can help maintain listening comprehension and vocabulary.

🗣️ Speak Dutch at Home

Perfection is not the goal. Consistency is.

Simple daily activities provide excellent opportunities to use Dutch:

  • talking about the day
  • making shopping lists
  • cooking together
  • playing games
  • discussing family outings
  • reading bedtime stories

The more naturally Dutch becomes part of everyday life, the easier it is for children to continue using the language confidently.

✈️ Turn Vacation into a Language Adventure

Vacations offer many opportunities to practice Dutch in a fun and meaningful way.

Encourage children to:

  • keep a travel journal in Dutch
  • write postcards
  • describe photos in Dutch
  • record short video diaries
  • collect new Dutch words during their travels

These activities help children actively use the language while creating lasting memories.

🎲 Play Games in Dutch

Games are a fantastic way to combine fun and language development.

Ideas include:

  • Hangman
  • Scrabble
  • Memory games
  • Guess Who?
  • 30 Seconds Junior
  • Dutch card games

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Connect with Other Dutch-Speaking Children

Languages thrive when they are used socially.

Playdates, visits with family, trips to the Netherlands, and online conversations with Dutch-speaking friends can help children stay motivated to speak Dutch.

💻 Use Online Learning Resources

Many excellent resources are available online:

Free Online Parent Workshop by NOB

Would you like more ideas and practical strategies for raising multilingual children and maintaining Dutch at home?

Stichting NOB is offering a free online parent workshop:

Dutch at Home in a Multilingual Family

During this session, parents will receive practical tips, inspiration, and ideas for supporting Dutch language development at home, while traveling, and during school breaks.

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Location: Zoom
Cost: Free

Session 1

1:00 PM Netherlands Time
(4:00 AM PST / 7:00 AM EST)

Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/RwoXyvKsRSeOI7i5Mg3pkQ

Session 2

8:00 PM Netherlands Time
(11:00 AM PST / 2:00 PM EST)

Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/byzB5mN3Sumbukek1uMI2w

Dutch-speaking parents from around the world are welcome to attend.

Supporting Dutch Language Development Abroad

At Dutch School, we help children, teens, and adults around the world learn and maintain the Dutch language and culture through classes on campus, online classes, private lessons, group courses, and cultural activities.

Whether your family has recently moved abroad or has been living internationally for many years, maintaining Dutch is an investment in your child’s future, identity, and connection to family.

And perhaps the most important advice of all:

Keep it fun.

Children learn languages best when Dutch is part of enjoyable conversations, stories, games, traditions, and shared family experiences.

We wish all families a wonderful summer filled with great memories, relaxation, and of course, a little Dutch along the way! 🇳🇱☀️

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