Before my first child was born, I knew I'd be raising her bilingual. But I'd be lying if I said I knew there were actual methods with established names to do so. It wasn't until my daughter was about 2 years old and I started researching the topic for a blog that I discovered the way I was raising her to learn both English and Spanish had a name: the mL@H method.
The initials stand for "minority language at home" and, basically, it means just what it says. You speak Spanish (or whatever other second language you've chosen for your kids) when you're with them and they learn the dominant language–in our case English–elsewhere, usually in school.
The other method, which is by far the most popular, is called OPOLand it stands for "one parent one language." And again, it means exactly what it says. One parent speaks one language and the other one speaks another language. Usually, this means one parent is bilingual and he or she speaks the minority language, while the monoligual parent uses the only language he or she knows, which is normally the majority language.
Read more in ¿Qué más?: 4 Key traits of parents raising bilingual kids
But this isn't always the case. I know somebody who speaks to her kids in Spanish, her husband speaks to them in German and they've learned English in school. So this is a great way to raise a trilingual child if parents are bilingual in different language combinations.
The third method used by bilingual families is not as popular, but seems to work well for those who've adopted it. It's called T&P and that stands for "time and place." Families that use it normally choose a specific time period to use the minority language. Maybe it's every Saturday. Others change languages every week or every other week. In terms of place, some families choose to use their minority language only in daycare or at the grandparents' house.
In the end, you're the only one who can decide the best method for your family. Remember that it should be a method everyone feels comfortable with and one you all can stick to for at least a while.
