What 30 years of bilingual education at Haut-Lac has taught us about starting from 18 months
Summary: Young children at a bilingual nursery don’t “study” languages, they soak them up through everyday life. The earlier and more consistent the exposure, the easier it is. Bilingualism doesn’t cause speech delays, and it doesn’t confuse children. What it does need is plenty of contact with both languages, in real situations, with people they trust.
Parents ask us this all the time. Won’t two languages confuse them? Will one slow the other down? Should we wait until they’ve mastered one before starting the other?
Short answer: no, no and no.
The longer answer is more interesting, and it’s worth understanding. What happens between the toddler years and primary school shapes how easily a child will pick up languages later in life. Here’s what we’ve learnt running a bilingual nursery in Vevey, and what the research says.
Why toddlers learn differently
Adults learn languages. Toddlers absorb them.
That’s a real difference. A three-year-old isn’t translating in their head. They’re not memorising vocabulary lists. They’re hearing sounds, watching faces, noticing patterns, and working out what means what. It’s exactly how they figured out their first language.
Give them two languages from the start and their brain treats it as completely normal. Because for them, it is.
The “one person, one language” rule
There’s a simple principle that makes early bilingualism work, and we’ve built our nursery around it: each adult speaks one language, consistently.
At Les Marronniers, our English-speaking educator speaks English. Always. Our French-speaking educator speaks French. Always. Children quickly learn which language goes with which person, and switch effortlessly between the two.
It sounds basic. It is basic. But it gives toddlers something they need: predictability. They’re not trying to guess which language is coming. They know.
This is a similar approach to the one that runs through Haut-Lac International Bilingual School. Find out how bilingualism works across all year groups.
Two languages in everyday life at a bilingual nursery
You won’t see toddlers reciting verbs. You’ll see them living their day in two languages, without trying.
They’ll ask for de l’eau at lunch and shout “my turn!” at the obstacle course. They’ll pick up a story in one language and retell it in the other, mixing words because their vocabulary in each is still growing. They’ll occasionally invent words that exist in neither and look at you like yes, this is correct, please keep up.
This is normal. It’s called code-switching, and rather than a sign of confusion, it shows their brain is sorting both languages into the right boxes.
But what about the “language delay” worry?
You may have heard that bilingual children speak later. Research has dispelled this myth: bilingual children reach language milestones at the same pace as monolingual peers.1
Or, as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association puts it: bilingualism does not cause communication disorder, and prescribing monolingualism will not cure it.2
Their vocabulary in any single language can look smaller, because their words are spread across two. Count both languages together, and the total vocabulary is at least as large as a monolingual child’s.3
What is the best age to start a second language?
You can raise a bilingual child later. Plenty of families do, and do it well.
But early childhood is when the brain is most open to it. Research from MIT suggests that grammar-learning ability stays strong throughout childhood, with the easiest path to native-like fluency starting before about age 10.4 Sounds that adult learners struggle with for decades, like French nasal vowels or English th sounds, slip into a young child’s repertoire effortlessly.
The takeaway isn’t “now or never”. It’s “earlier is easier”.
Stories, songs and snacks really do matter
The other thing children need is enough of each language. Not just exposure. Immersion. Real situations, real reasons to use the words.
That’s why our days at Les Marronniers are built around reading time, music sessions, cooking and outdoor walks where naming what you see is half the fun. Language without context doesn’t stick. Language tied to a real moment does.
Curious how our bilingual nursery works?
The best way to understand a bilingual nursery is to see one in action. At Les Marronniers in Vevey, you can get a glimpse of circle time, watch the children switch languages mid-game, and meet the educators who make it all feel effortless.
From there, bilingual learning continues right through to the IB at Haut-Lac International Bilingual School in St-Légier.
References
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Teaching Kids a Second Language: Can It Cause a Speech Delay? Available at: nationwidechildrens.org ↩
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Late Language Emergence: Practice Portal. Available at: asha.org ↩
