New handbook provides support for non-Estonian-speaking parents

Professor Birute Klaas-Lang has compiled a handbook titled "My Child Learns in Estonian" („Minu laps õpib eesti keeles“), which is aimed at parents whose mother tongue is not Estonian and whose children will start studying in Estonian in kindergarten or at school.

The main goal of the book is to explain to parents in an understandable and simple way the nature of multilingualism, how children acquire languages, how learning in a second language is carried out, and how parents can best support their child in learning in Estonian. The book also discusses why it is important to speak Estonian in Estonia.

In writing the handbook, Professor Klaas-Lang, who specialises in teaching Estonian as a foreign language at the University of Tartu and conducts research on the Estonian language and its teaching at the Estonian Academy of Sciences, drew on both her academic expertise and personal experience in growing up in a multilingual family and raising her own children in a bilingual environment. This dual perspective gives the handbook both an academic and a practical dimension.

"The preparation of the book was preceded by meetings with parents at transitional kindergartens and schools in Tartu to explore parental concerns and issues related to language transition, aiming to find common ground solutions. Parents shape their children's attitudes towards languages with their own attitudes and need evidence-based explanations about the nature of multilingualism and the possibilities of learning in a second language," explained Klaas-Lang.

The handbook is published in bilingual editions, offering readers the opportunity to compare texts in Russian and Estonian, as well as Ukrainian and Estonian, to support parents in improving their own Estonian language skills. As an additional benefit, the handbook includes stories from learners and parents discussing the effectiveness of early language learning, learning in a second language, supporting multilingual development within families, and the importance of Estonian language skills. These stories provide a practical insight into various aspects and possibilities of language learning.

The handbook was published by the University of Tartu Press and distributed in schools and kindergartens in Tartu. The compilation and publishing of the book was a collaborative project involving the University of Tartu, the city of Tartu, and the Estonian Academy of Sciences.

Read the handbook online

The handbook was published thanks to the support of the city of Tartu.

The full press release is available in Estonian.