International Mother Language Day — Talk to Your Kids in Your Mother Tongue

Palos Verdes Montessori Academy
2 min readFeb 9, 2021

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You must be knowing that the world recognizes 21st February as International Mother Language Day. This day is celebrated to respect, remember and honor our mother language or more specifically mother tongue. But in today’s world, there is a common trend of using the English language more often than any other language. In fact, many people feel proud of speaking in English or listening to English songs or news, or watching English movies. Instead of teaching their mother tongue, nowadays parents are also keener on teaching their children the English language.

Yes, English is the language of communication in today’s world, and everybody should know English to present themselves globally. But still, Daycare Torrance CA teachers insist parents talk to their kids in their mother tongue and teach them to respect the language.

What is this day?

In November 1999, UNESCO declared 21st February as the International Mother Language Day, and from 2000, it has been celebrated worldwide. It was designed to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. There are about 6,500 languages in the world, but do you know that many languages are losing their importance and getting extinct? International Mother language day is commemorated to celebrate and protect all the languages of the world.

You would be surprised to know that languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing tangible and intangible heritage? All the movements to promote the dissemination of mother tongues is not enough to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education. These movements are also trying to aware people of the linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world. But the most important thing, according to the teachers of Torrance, CA, we can do is speak in our mother tongue as much as possible and teach our next generation also to value the importance of their native language.

The linguistic assortment is gradually threatened as more and more languages disappear. It is quite surprising that many children do not have the access to an education in a language they speak and understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother-tongue based multilingual education with the growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.

How learning Mother language is beneficial for Children:

Montessori Torrance CA teachers have observed that cognitive development, as well as intellectual development, is faster in children who are fluent in their mother tongue. They have also noted that if a child is educated in his mother tongue, the rate of his success is higher than someone who is taught in a different language. Language is the most important way to make your child understand and feel connected with his culture.

Language is central to spoken and written communication in all areas of life. By being bilingual or multilingual, children will have the opportunity to get exposed to more than one perspective and it will give them the confidence to learn a foreign language to be a better communicator.

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Palos Verdes Montessori Academy
Palos Verdes Montessori Academy

Written by Palos Verdes Montessori Academy

Palos Verdes Montessori Academy offers quality preschool and daycare services in Palos Verdes, California. We accept infants from six weeks up to Kindergarten.

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