# How to keep up children's English while living abroad?



## midoritori2014 (May 2, 2014)

Just curious. My daughter is 6 and we may be moving to Berlin. It could be 2 years with possible extension.

We are learning toward placing her into a German speaking school. She is already reading books in English currently and don't want her to slip. 

What techniques have you used to keep English up? An hour a day for practice English reading and writing? 

Any tips greatly appreciated!


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

An hour a day sounds miserably punitive, but then I was a very slack parent. (Relax - kids that age just soak **** up.) I'd think that if you're speaking English at home, just have her read English books half the time and then in the second year, once she's up to speed with German, maybe look at some workbooks for writing English, an hour or two a week.


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## midoritori2014 (May 2, 2014)

haha. Yeah, maybe that would be a bit too rigorous. 

Yeah, I'm just trying to find what the best way to help her keep it up without losing it. We also have a 2nd language- Japanese. God knows how we will fit that in too!

But for now, the English is my main concern. It's the one we speak in the home.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

The Japanese might have to slide down the priority order while she's acquiring German. If memory serves, you're looking at something around Wiesbadener Str, correct? There were some Japanese families at the IBZ (a residence for visiting academics, near Rudesheimer Platz) and a bit of an international parental community there that you could tap into.


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## midoritori2014 (May 2, 2014)

We are now looking at Prenzlauer Berg just based on a few montessori schools we are looking at. Is there a decent international community around there would you say?


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## midoritori2014 (May 2, 2014)

But yeah, I think the Japanese will slide a bit too. Maybe just read her stories in Japanese and see if there is any Japanese families in the area she can keep it up with.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

midoritori2014 said:


> haha. Yeah, maybe that would be a bit too rigorous.
> 
> Yeah, I'm just trying to find what the best way to help her keep it up without losing it. We also have a 2nd language- Japanese. God knows how we will fit that in too!
> 
> But for now, the English is my main concern. It's the one we speak in the home.


My nephew's wife is from Japan and their children attend a Japanese "school" once a week. Might be a bit much at the beginning but maybe after you are settled?

I can find out about it if you are interested.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

midoritori2014 said:


> We are now looking at Prenzlauer Berg just based on a few montessori schools we are looking at. Is there a decent international community around there would you say?


Presumably but I've never actually lived up that way. P-Berg is fun though, I'm sure you'll have all kinds of stuff to do, and you hear plenty of English out and about. There's an excellent kids' project just down the hill from Käthe-Kollwitz-Platz where children are given construction materials and with minimal supervision build extremely tall and rickety forts and catwalks without railings; adults are not allowed to enter. Hugely fun, and just the sort of marvelous anarchy that makes safety-obsessed (North American) parents lose control of their bowels. 

On the language front, since you're going to be there for at least two years, I'd just back off and let her get caught up in German for first year, then start focusing on English and Japanese. Continue speaking both at home, work on the reading and writing later. The Saturday morning (I assume) Japanese school is a good option too - we did something similar for many years in Canada, at very least it kept our daughter's German alive between stays in Berlin.


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## midoritori2014 (May 2, 2014)

Thank guys. This has all been great advice. 

And yes, would love to have information on weekend Japanese school 

Thanks!


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## Tellus (Nov 24, 2013)

midoritori2014 said:


> Just curious. My daughter is 6 and we may be moving to Berlin. It could be 2 years with possible extension.
> 
> We are learning toward placing her into a German speaking school. She is already reading books in English currently and don't want her to slip.


Just have a look at Englisch
Berlin got 18 Europaschulen which provide bi-lingual education in 9 languages, schools are open to all citizen.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

midoritori2014 said:


> Thank guys. This has all been great advice.
> 
> And yes, would love to have information on weekend Japanese school
> 
> Thanks!


Sorry about getting back to you this late!

I finally got together with my nephew and his family yesterday and got some information about the Japanese school:

共益法人ベルリン中央学園補習授業校

My niece said it's not a Saturday school but a one-day-a-week-after-regular-school thing. The day of the week depends on the age group of the children. They do a lot of little outings together and it seems generally a lot of fun.


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