Welsh with kids

I understand but just to confirm it wasnt a ciricticm just an observation. I think the course is a revelation and I so would have welcomed something similar when I started learning in the mid eighties. The closest was Catchphrase on BBC Wales for 5 minutes 5 evenings a week and a 30 minute magazine and consolodation on Sundays. It started with the learners being a father and son from Cardiff and ran for three years before the format changed whereby a celebrity became the learner. I think I still have 100 cassette tape recordings which I did diligently every week, trouble is no cassette player now!

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And a big thankyou for the link!:smiley:

I listened to a lot of those as well.

For a long time, at least some of the audio was available on the BBC website. I’m not sure if there is much, if any, left now, although I have a feeling the text may still be there.

Actually, if you search this forum for “BBC Catchphrase”, you might find some interesting links.

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Another weekend for the family coming up folks!
27-29 Hydref | October

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Very common for children outside of where a language wont be bothered.

Especially in places outside of Cymru , you need to give your kids a deep family context as to why you are using Welsh. For example your surname Hughes is about as Welsh surnamed as it gets (ap Huw original) … other more selfish reasons can help (i.e. learning language is good for your brain etc)

To give another perspective, I grew up speaking Italian and English at home and I do the same with my children (living in England, speaking as much Italian as possible). My daughter went through a phase, when young, of telling me to speak English. She used to reply solely in English (it has begun to change recently).

I told her “You can speak to me in the language you want but you don’t get to tell me what language I can speak to you. I speak Italian because I grew up that way and I want to hear it.” And that policy of ‘anyone may speak whichever language they like in our house’ has remained - and I have not been told to speak English for years.

Don’t worry about persuading your children to speak another language, just make it a thing you do. Even if they reply in English, they will hear you and will learn to understand, and that’s a gift you can give them.

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@julia-treen that is a fantastic way to deal with the issue, and I wish I’d thought of it when my children were small and very stubborn!

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Reviving this thread as seems a good place for it.

I am running a Welsh table at my son’s school International Day (we are in England). On the day there will be approx 15 tables, run by parents, representing their home country. It’s always nice for the kids to do a little activity or have something to take away with them after they have visited. For example in previous years Greece/Isreal/China- Childs name written in local alphabet, Japan- origami hats, Brazil- headphone with National music, Canada - shoot ice hockey puck at goal etc.

In previous years we have “fed the dragon” throwing beanbags in its mouth. If you got all 3 you got a house point. Sadly the mum who’s game this is has left the school. I possibly could ask to borrow it but I fancy a change this year.

Slight caveat for the activity is that they children are likely to spend about 2 minutes max with us so it has to be quick!!

Anyone have any genius ideas of what we could do with the children? I will be dressing up in my best Welsh costume :grinning:

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