Posts

A parent feels proud for her twin boys' Mandarin Chinese development through Tessa Summer Camp.

How to Plan Ahead for The New Year: A Parent’s Guide

January 23, 2025/in Enrichment, Parenting, Summer Camp /by Tessa School

Planning ahead can help set a positive tone for a prosperous year. As the primary role model for your child, parents and family members’ visioning exemplifies how to create a roadmap for achieving meaningful goals and fostering new opportunities. Goal-setting also serves as a hands-on opportunity for children to develop a sense of direction, focus, and self-regulation in their process and progress. Here are some practical tips to help you get your goals, dreams, and visions on paper and turn them into a reality.

Involve Your Kid into Family Goalsetting

Encourage your child to participate in family goal-setting conversations and make it a collaborative effort. Even at a young age, children benefit from feeling heard and included and becoming active participants in decisions that shape their routines and aspirations.

Ask what they would like to accomplish, try, or learn this year. For younger children, this might mean drawing pictures of their dreams, while older kids might enjoy writing or talking about their ideas more detailedly. Always consider these simple, open-ended questions:

What would you like to learn this year?
What activity makes you more happy?
What new skills do you want to try?

These questions open doors to understanding your child’s inner world, transforming planning from a task into a meaningful dialogue.

Create a Family Calendar

Why not transform boring scheduling into a creative family project? You can use a large calendar to map out key events and milestones for the year, including holidays, birthdays, school events, extracurricular activities, and family trips. For younger children, visual markers like stickers or colors help them easily understand the calendar and anticipate special moments.

A clear family calendar fosters organization and shares an idea of direction with every family member. Be sure to leave space for spontaneous activities, unexpected joys, and unplanned adventures!

Breaking Down Big Goals into Actionable Steps

Rather than setting goals for the entire year all at once, consider breaking the larger goals into smaller, manageable steps for your kids to build confidence and maintain enthusiasm.

Take language learning, for instance. Instead of pressuring for fluency, celebrate:

Accumulating basic vocabulary and greetings,
Enjoying fun language games, songs, and books,
Engaging in daily conversations with native speakers,
Expanding conversational skills gradually.

This step-by-step approach builds perseverance and helps your child see progress, keeping their motivation strong throughout the year.

Another straightforward way to promote your child to stay engaged is to divide the year into seasons and pair with unique learning opportunities. For example, winter might inspire indoor creative activities, while spring beckons outdoor exploration. Summer, in particular, becomes a playground for skill-building and trying something new.

Children engage in physcial activities at Tessa Summer Camp.

Planning valuable seasonal goals help your child focus their energy and prevent anxiety.

Invest in Enriching Activities

Providing enriching experience for your child helps expand their understanding and nurture lifelong skills. You can find many enrichment activities online and within your local community. It’s worth dedicating time to find the ideal options that meet you and your kid’s goals.

Participating in activities that expose them to different languages or cultures can spark curiosity and global awareness. Tessa’s “Fun, Friends & Adventure” Summer Camp offers campers aged 2-10 an immersive language experience with a perfect balance of academic challenges and outdoor fun. Through ability-appropriate activities for different age groups, Tessa Summer Camp enables every camper to feel supported, inspired, and excited to learn and grow in a way that’s just right for them—all while immersed in Spanish, French, or Mandarin.

Learn more about Tessa Summer Camp 2025 here.

Stay positive

As you navigate the year, revisit your goals and adjust them as needed. Regularly check in with your child, celebrate every milestone, and help them view challenges as exciting sources for learning.

Most importantly, the journey weighs the same (or even more!) as the destination. A positive mindset will help you and your kid approach new opportunities, such as learning a language or trying a new skill, with enthusiasm and patience.

FAQs About Planning for the New Year

Q1: How can I help my child in goalsetting?

A: Start small and break big goals into achievable steps. For example, if your child wants to learn a new skill, set weekly or monthly milestones. Celebrate each achievement to sustain their passion.

Q2: How to balance structure and flexibility in planning for the year?

A: Children’s interests and energy levels are always evolving, so a loose framework that allows for adjustments tends to work more effectively than a rigid schedule. Tessa Summer Camp, specifically, provides weekly registration for full or half days with extended hours available, which alleviates parents’ stress of coordinating schedules during the summer break.

Q3: How does Tessa Summer Camp differ from other summer programs?

A: The immersive language experience of Spanish, French, or Mandarin guided by native-speaking instructors sets Tessa Summer Camp apart. Children aged 2-10 will embrace a perfect mix of fun academics and outdoor activities. Each week, campers explore new adventures in different fields–either being pilots, vets, astronauts, or more! Each theme features creative age-appropriate activities, an exciting visitor, a special end-of-week show, as well as plenty of physical exercise with a dedicated sports teacher!

By planning ahead with clear goals and enriching experiences, you can help your child thrive in the coming months. Enjoy this incredible time of exploration and collaboration with your child!

Are you ready to discover Hoboken’s leading language immersion summer program?

Contact Tessa International School to learn more!

Our Spanish Nursery teacher guides toddlers in language learning.

Raising a Bilingual Toddler: FAQs and Expert Tips for Success

December 16, 2024/in Bilingualism, Curriculum, Language Learning, Parenting /by Tessa School

Can young children handle exposure to two languages? Absolutely! Research shows that bilingual infants – as young as 20 months – are capable of processing two languages efficiently. Bilingual acquisition is a natural and rewarding journey for our toddlers that not only enriches communication but also brings unique cognitive and developmental advantages. Below, we have addressed common concerns parents have about raising bilingual toddlers, backed by research and expert insights.

Commonly Asked Questions

1. Is it too early to start teaching my 2-year-old a second language?

No, starting early is highly advantageous. Early language acquisition is strongly supported by the way children’s brains develop. Toddlers naturally absorb languages without consciously realizing it. A study shows that even babies as young as 4 months can differentiate between language inputs, emphasizing the potential in cognitive development from dual language exposure.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, children who begin learning second languages before the age of six will have an easier time:

understanding math concepts and solving word problems;
developing strong thinking skills;
using logic;
focusing, remembering, and making decisions;
thinking about language;
and learning other languages.

For more insights, watch the last webinar by Kathleen Visconti, our Head of School, on the benefits of bilingualism. You can download the recording of the session here.

2. Will learning two languages confuse my child?

No. Research for decades has debunked this common misconception. In fact, children who have regular and rich exposure to both languages achieve the same milestones in language development at roughly the same pace as monolingual children. Additionally, evidence proves that bilingualism enhances children’s cognitive abilities, such as understanding others’ perspectives and improving problem-solving skills.

Two French Track toddlers actively engage in bilingual learning.

Early exposure to another language ignites children’s learning.

3. How do I balance exposure to two languages?

The “One Parent, One Language” (OPOL) strategy offers a great way to ensure balanced exposure, where each parent consistently speaks only one language to the child. While popular, OPOL can be demanding to maintain.

Alternatively, to ensure later bilingualism, many experts recommend providing more early input in a minority language and promoting children’s interaction with peers who speak the same language. In this light, a high-quality nursery school program is greatly beneficial, forming a supportive language-immersed environment.

This is what Tessa International School’s Immersion Model is about. In our nursery program, toddlers start learning French, Spanish, or Mandarin with 80% of the communication and learning activities in the target language. The 80:20 immersion stage builds a strong foundation for bilingual fluency.

4. What if I don’t speak the second language fluently?

That’s okay! There are still numerous ways to foster second language development. Books, songs, and other resources can be utilized to create an environment that encourages language exploration and learning.

Don’t know where to start? We curate an array of language-promoting resources for you. For example, you can find French resources recommended by teachers from Tessa French track, accredited by the French Ministry of Education, on our school website. Learning another language with your child will be a unique parenting experience and strengthen your role in their educational journey.

5. What are the long-term benefits of bilingualism for young children?

The advantages of mastering another language are crystal clear: around 60% of the world population knows more than one language as of 2018. Therefore, bilingualism broadens communication skills, fosters cultural awareness, and opens doors to academic and professional success.

More importantly than a higher annual salary bracket, there are fascinating and meaningful findings that bilingualism appears to delay the onset of degenerative cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The cognitive stimulation for managing two languages activates multiple aspects of brain activity and compensates for cognitive decline, promoting our children a happier, healthier and more fulfilling life.

6. What should I do if my child mixes languages?

Language mixing, or code-switching, is a natural phenomenon among non-monolingual learners. It signifies active usage of both languages and bilingual thinking rather than confusion.

Some researchers suggest that code-switching reflects an intellectual advantage by demonstrating the comprehension of different cultures as well as an understanding of the fundamental structures and functions of language systems. Therefore, the key to supporting your child through language mixing is to encourage appropriate expression and celebrate their bilingual development.. With the right support, your child will learn to separate languages sooner than you can imagine.

7. How can I make learning two languages fun for my toddler?

Toddlers thrive on playful interactions. There are numerous fun and engaging opportunities for language building through play, music, and books. You can learn more about play-based learning activities practical at home here.

A parent feels proud for her twin boys' Mandarin Chinese development through Tessa Nursery Program.

At Tessa International School, we provide a bilingual education based on happiness.

8. How much exposure does my child need to become fluent?

There is no exact formula for fluency. Factors like the quality of exposure, age, and family background all play a role in children’s language development.

“Finally, there is no good measure of ‘enough exposure.’ “
– Dr. François Grosjean, a Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Language and Speech Processing Laboratory at the University of Neuchâtel.

Like any other skill, language learning takes practice and time. Evidence above shows that children who experience two languages from birth consistently have the potential to develop into native speakers of both languages.

At Tessa International School, our nursery, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary programs provide children with everyday opportunities to practice both languages, fostering natural and lasting fluency.

9. Will my child eventually prefer one language over the other?

The notion of perfectly balanced bilingualism is ideological. In other words, bilingualism is not static, existing on a continuum in which one’s proficiency is constantly changing over time. Bilinguals often have a dominant and a minority language based on complex strands of social, cultural, and educational influences, so it is understandable for people to display language dominance.

However, Tessa’s Immersion Progression Model is thoughtfully designed to help your child maintain a balance instead of losing these valuable language assets.

80:20 Immersion Stage: At Tessa, from Nursery through Kindergarten, the majority of instruction (80%) is conducted in the target language to ensure sufficient exposure of the minority language, allowing students to build strong, life-long foundations in the language.
50:50 Dual Language Stage: Starting in Grade 1, students will receive instruction and absorb knowledge in English and the targeted language equally in order to gain proficiency in both.

You can learn more about the Model here.

10. Are there specific programs or schools that support bilingualism for toddlers?

Yes! At Tessa International School, we offer world-class bilingual education for ages 2-10. Differing from other schooling programs, our nursery program provides a special introduction to initiate your child to a second language, develops their creativity through various play-based activities, and prepares them to become lifelong learners.

A Bilingual Program: When it comes to bilingualism, the earlier the better. Daily exposure to dual languages builds children’s confidence and communication skills, preparing them to become bilingual, adaptable, and active citizens.
A World-Class Education: Guided by the International Baccalaureate, our nursery program provides a “roadmap” for toddlers to travel, with options for detours when their curiosity is peaked or the need for student-initiated action occurs.
A Play-Based Curriculum: Balancing structured activities and free play, we encourage children to learn while having fun, inquire and make discoveries for themselves, aligned with one of the three educational pillars of our school mission – Happiness.

You can download our Nursery Curriculum here.

Are you ready to discover Hoboken’s leading international private school?

Contact Tessa International School to learn more!

Bilingual Learning Experiences for the Holidays

December 15, 2019/in Language Learning, Teaching and Learning /by Jamie Kreps

Holidays may bring extended breaks from school, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a fantastic time to offer your children some unique learning experiences. In fact, the holidays are rich with opportunities for kids to broaden their knowledge on cultural and communicative topics, if parents provide them with the tools to learn. Let’s take a look at some of the fun and innovative ways children can expand their bilingual learning experiences at home during their holiday breaks from school.

Holiday Bilingual Learning Experiences

The fact is, children master the art of becoming bilingual much easier through immersion learning – or being all-encompassed in dual languages both in school and out. It goes without saying then that parents who make a point to incorporate language learning at home give their children a more thorough understanding of second languages and the greatest chance at being truly fluent in both as they grow.

So how do you go about incorporating a second language in learning experiences at home – especially over the holidays or extended times away from school? One of the easiest ways is by adding various cultural experiences to your family holiday repertoire in order to let your child see first-hand how other cultures celebrate the season.

Ways to Incorporate Cultural Learning Over the Holidays

There are virtually unlimited ways in which parents can add cultural learning experiences for their children over the holidays, so it’s really up to you which angle you choose to take. You don’t need to plan a trip to a foreign country in order to give your child a bit of immersion learning over break. There are things as simple as baking cookies from various cultures to acting out traditional activities practiced around the world – all of which will give your child an invaluable cultural experience and a better understanding of how others celebrate during this time.

If your child is enrolled in foreign language learning in school, that is a great place to start when considering cultural holiday learning activities. To expand on their learning, take a look at the traditions and practices of the language they are studying in school and plan some activities at home that will expand their understanding while they’re home on break.

Depending upon the culture, you could add a holiday baking day that allows your children to experience the various sweets enjoyed by their language of study. You could also prepare a holiday dinner together using the traditional foods and preparation of that culture. If food isn’t your thing, try looking into other traditions of the culture such as candle lighting ceremonies, parades, or even things like hiding brooms or placing shoes by a window – each culture has their own celebratory methods that are sure to enhance your child’s learning experience.

Keep the Learning Growing at Home

There are so many festivities and traditions celebrated by different cultures each year during the holiday season. Being on winter break from school doesn’t have to mean a break from learning – bring some culture and immersion learning into your child’s routine by trying new experiences and adventures related to their language learning. Do a little search to find out area festivals or activities you may have nearby or get ideas on how you can add fun learning tricks at home!

Improving Your Child’s Language and Literacy Skills

July 1, 2019/in Language Learning, Parenting, Teaching and Learning /by Jamie Kreps

Few things are as critical to a child’s educational success as a firm grasp on language and literacy skills. The ability to communicate effectively crosses over into every area of study your child will embark upon in their lifetime. This fact alone makes these skills crucial to their future ability to grasp complex subjects.

The Importance of Language and Literacy Skills

Being proficient in one or more languages has unparalleled benefits that will be seen across the board in your child’s education. Since language is the basis for all teaching efforts (and also the key to communicating effectively overall), it’s understandable why it’s such an important skill to hone.

The importance of language and literacy skills go well beyond the communication aspect, however. Students who focus on deepening their language base will find themselves gaining proficiencies in their other studies as well.

According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), students who excel in language and literacy show:

Greater test scores on standard tests
Higher levels of focus and understanding
Increased ability to grasp scientific hypotheses
Higher ACT and SAT scores
Greater problem-solving capabilities

These are just a few of the ways in which language and linguistics will lend to the greater overall educational success of your child. Since language development requires children to hone their focusing skills, they will then be able to apply the same level of focus to their other studies.

Literacy Learning Techniques

Whether your child is focusing on one language or multilingual studies, they will have set coursework within their classroom. It’s certainly no surprise that teachers have lesson plans for their students, but you may be surprised to learn how much things have changed since your days in the classroom.

Evidence has shown students respond well to teaching methods that incorporate several different learning aids. Some of these include items that can be used as visual props while others could use online programs and themed learning (animal week, gardening week, etc.).

The key to language learning in the classroom, however, is a focus on interactive conversational opportunities. It’s less about learning grammar rules and more about learning to actually communicate.

“The primary purpose of language is communication – grammar is important, but there’s a bigger picture. Language is no longer seen as being learned through mechanical exercises, it’s developed through students interacting and engaging,” explains Huw Jarvis, a professor at the University of Salford’s School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science.

According to Jarvis, motivation is the most critical component to driving a student’s interest in language learning. Since students tend to learn faster through immersion in situations which require them to find ways to communicate, allowing them to choose their own medium gives way to a greater desire to learn.

Developing a Desire to Learn at Home

In order to truly give your child the full-on immersion experience, it’s critical to continue the language and literacy learning experience outside of the classroom as well. Most parents understand that a child’s educational success is a multi-faceted experience that involves both home life and school life.

So how do we go about providing our children with enriching language learning experiences at home? Engage them and motivate them – it’s as simple (or as complex) as that.

“The best method is the method you like… Languages cannot be taught, they can only be learned,” explains Language Consultant, Luca Lampariello.

Finding out what motivates your child to learn at home involves a basic trial and error process. Unless you’ve already figured out how to motivate your child (and if so, kudos!), you may need to engage in some simple activities with them to see what they like. Find out what drives them to want to learn more.

Finding Out What Motivates Your Child

One of the simplest ways you can help your child nurture a desire to learn and excel with language and literacy is by different communicative experiences at home. Talk to them. Sing to them. Create stories with them involved. Allow your child to “read” you a story by telling you what’s going on in the sequential pictures. There are endless ways to involve them in language learning at home.

The National Center on Improving Literacy explains that by simple daily communication efforts at home, parents can help their child improve their language learning immensely. Daily communications can be as simple as a pointed discussion about their day (asking specific questions to get them to think and give detailed answers), or as thorough as labeling items at home for a language visual.

“Engage in joint reading, drawing, singing, storytelling, reciting, game playing, and rhyming. When joint reading, you and your child take turns reading parts of a book. When reading, ask her to connect the story… Give positive feedback and ask open-ended questions during joint reading to boost her interest and critical thinking skills.” – ImprovingLiteracy.org

By including daily language activities such as reading and storytelling, you’ll gain insight into what interests your child the most. Find stories that inspire them and pique their curiosity – this will help give them a stronger drive to learn more. Asking pointed questions on the topic will encourage them to focus on the task and go deeper for a greater understanding. No matter the topic, that will give way to an overall improved language and literacy experience.

A More Complete Learning Experience

If you want to apply a more direct learning approach at home, speak with your child’s teacher to discuss what methods are utilized in the classroom. Educators are usually more than willing to speak with parents about their teaching methods and how they can be enhanced at home.

You can also take a closer look in their bookbags to gain some insight into what they’re focusing on in the classroom. If you see they have a themed week at school, try continuing the theme at home. As examples, if they have a color theme for a week, use corresponding color foods in dinner plans, colored bath water, or planned outfits for school to bring up topics later.

They key to continuing language and literacy learning at home is to simply communicate. Communicate with your children about their days or share a good story with them. Communicate with their teachers to learn any tips or subject ideas to coordinate home learning themes and techniques with classroom learning. Above all, the most important thing you can do to help your child develop their language skills is to continue to engage them in communication. Talk with your kids and talk often – it’s that simple!

Language Spotlight Series: Spanish – Giving Your Child a Career Advantage

March 1, 2019/in Bilingualism, Language Learning, Teaching and Learning /by Jamie Kreps

More and more evidence has come to light in recent years in support of adding a second (or third) language to your child’s curriculum. While many parents may be apprehensive about introducing additional language learning to their child at a young age, research has shown early education is a fantastic time to begin bilingual teaching.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, studies have shown that the most important learning process of early education involves language and literacy development. These two skills, which are intertwined, form the basic foundation for all other learning processes your child will encounter the rest of their lives.

“The primary goal of early schooling is to establish the foundational skills upon which children will build their educational futures. The most important of these abilities are the language and literacy competence.” – The U.S. National Library of Medicine.

It goes without saying then, that a focus on language learning is the key to the best academic potential for children. In fact, adding dual language learning to their academia during early education years, serves to boost their comprehension skills even further, according to recent research by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

As the NIH reports, the Lindholm-Leary study, conducted in 2014, showed “…children in the bilingual program outperform(ed) the English-only instruction group in both English and Spanish test scores by the end of second grade.”

The research results leave us with compelling evidence in support of introducing bilingual learning at a young age. Which in turn, begs the question, “how do we choose which language is best?” Our Language Spotlight Series is going to take a look at two of the top ranked languages chosen for children around the world: Spanish and French. This month we will be focusing our articles on discovering the benefits of each language option, beginning with Spanish.

Spotlight on Spanish

According to international census results, conducted by Swedish educational group, Nationalencyklopedin.com, in 2010 there were 405 million Spanish speakers throughout the world. These census results showed there are nearly 50 million more people globally who speak Spanish than there are who speak English – and that was 9 years ago. The numbers are only increasing with each year.

What does this mean? Well, to put it simply, there are more opportunities for your child if they speak Spanish than there are if they speak English. Imagine the possibilities if they were bilingual and able to speak both.

“In the United States alone there are over 50 million people who speak Spanish as their native or second language. So even if you don’t fancy yourself a globetrotter, Spanish is probably the most useful language to learn…” – Babbel.com.

If you base your decision on numbers, Spanish is a likely front-runner for bilingual education options for your child, but it’s so much more than just a popular choice. Here are five of the top benefits to consider when choosing Spanish as a second language for your child’s early educational curriculum:

1 – Opportunities

When you choose a language that is the second most spoken language across the globe, you’re choosing so much more than just a language voted most likely to succeed or most popular in the annual polls. You’re choosing opportunities for your child.

With so many people speaking Spanish – both in the United States and around the world – learning the more common language seems a no-brainer. By learning to communicate with a larger base of the global population, you will be giving your child the tools to close gaps between cultures and open up lines of communication with endless individuals and multi-lingual opportunities.

“Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the world. The opportunities for Spanish speakers across the globe are endless!” – Leapfrog.com.

2 – Stronger Linguistic Core

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages to consider when signing your child up for Spanish language instruction, lies in the foundational work. While you may be afraid your child will be confused by using multiple languages in the early years, the contrary is actually true – particularly when learning Spanish.

English and Spanish share many commonalities in their core linguistics. In fact, both have strong Latin roots and have multiple words that are so similar they are basically the same (or literally, are the same) – and easily understood.

“Studying Spanish increases children’s understanding of the English language and how different languages evolve, which can also help with learning English vocabulary.” – Leapfrog.com.

Going back to the study findings listed above from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, language and linguistic learning is the most critical piece of your child’s early education. By extension then, choosing a course of study that helps boost your child’s ability to understand and develop these foundational linguistic skills makes perfect sense.

3 – Ease of Understanding

In a related benefit, since Spanish and English share so many commonalities, it also makes it a fairly simple language for young minds to pick up. There are literally thousands of words in the Spanish language that share a base with English words. Actually, there are several thousand that share an exact same spelling and meaning in both languages.

Words like capital, editorial, federal, hospital, manual, normal, and thousands more share the same meaning and spelling, just to give an example. English and Spanish are highly relatable and easily understood, so it goes without saying that the earlier you begin bilingual studies, the easier it is to pick up. With so many similarities, children will be able to pick up Spanish as a second language in no time.

4 – Breaking Barriers

Because learning a second language is more than just opening opportunities, it’s important to consider the bilateral advantages. While your child will certainly be picking up fantastic core linguistic lessons and opening doors to communicating with a larger portion of the global population, there is more to the picture.

According to Babbel Magazine, there are actually more Spanish speaking individuals in the United States than there are in Spain. The Spanish-speaking population in the United States is second in size only to that of Mexico – giving an even greater opportunity for immersion learning.

With a language as vastly used as Spanish, becoming fluent does more than just open communication lines – it breaks down communication barriers. When the language barriers are taken down, cultural learning and enrichment are open and available for even greater impacts on our children.

“Dual language programs show students a broader world-view, whatever the native language of the student, and lead to greater opportunities for collaborative learning.” – Huffington Post.

5 – Increased Fluency

When you consider all of the factors above, it makes sense to deduce that Spanish as a second language comes with an increased chance for fluency later in life when introduced at an early age. Combining the fact that the two languages share so many similarities, with the fact that they increase linguistic foundations overall, it’s easy to understand how your child will be building a strong potential for continuing their learning later in life.

“It generally takes five to seven years to be proficient in a second language… In other words, U.S. students should be introduced to a second language at a young age in order to be fluent by adulthood.” – Huffington Post.

Overall, when choosing a second language for early childhood education, a vast majority of parents have chosen Spanish for a multitude of reasons. With the increasing Spanish-speaking population and wide-spread use of Spanish across the globe, it’s certainly the most popular choice. It also shares a root in Latin-based linguistics, giving it so many similarities to English and making it an easy-learn for young minds.

Whatever your reason, introducing Spanish to early education students has unparalleled benefits across the board. Speak with bilingual educational professionals near you to learn even more advantages to Spanish instruction!