How to Maintain the Home Language When Your Child Starts School in English

When your child starts daycare, preschool, or elementary school in English [or interest community language here], it’s normal to worry, “Will they lose our home language?” The short answer is… they might. But with the right strategies and deliberate actions starting school doesn’t have to mean the end of your bilingual dreams.

Research over the last decade tells us that heritage-language skills are shaped by how much and what kind of input a child receives, the variety of contexts where the language is used, and whether the language is valued at home and in the community. With a clear plan, and the right tools and support, parents can keep the home language strong even as their child learns and becomes English dominant at school.

Below I’ll walk you through why the shift happens, what actually works, and where to get help if you feel your child’s heritage language is fading away in this dominance shift.

Why the home language often weakens after school starts

School changes everything. A child who used to hear a minority language during most waking hours suddenly spends large chunks of time immersed in the community language. All their lessons, friends, books, media, everything in English. That shift in quantity and diversity of input is the main driver behind a move toward English dominance. 

Researchers have repeatedly found that when exposure to the heritage language drops, so do certain language skills—particulary active language skills (like speech). At the same time, the vocabulary and the kinds of language children usually learn at school (academic vocab, complex sentence structures) aren’t learned by heritage children—furthering the gap between them and monolingual children their age. 

Importantly, there is no evidence that keeping a home/heritage language harms English learning. Studies show bilingual children reliably acquire English while also benefiting from knowledge in their other language(s). In other words, supporting the home language is additive — it increases total language knowledge rather than taking away from English. 

The pieces that actually help — evidence-backed strategies

In order to keep your home language strong, here are some strategies you can implement 

1) Increase consistent, high-quality input at home

Quantity and quality matter. Daily, predictable use of the heritage language — not just “sometimes” — gives children the repeated exposure they need to keep progressing. This can be really easy with toddlers but gets increasingly more difficult as children grow and have their own language preferences. Studies emphasise that quantity of exposure is a major predictor of heritage-language outcomes.

Practical examples:

• Set language ‘zones’ where your child is expected to use the home language.
• Read bedtime stories in the heritage language every night.
• Use audiobooks or podcasts in the heritage language during car rides.

2) Increase the variety of contexts and genres the child experiences in the heritage language

Children learn different vocabulary and structures in different contexts. If the heritage language is only used for family chat, the child may lack school-type vocabulary. Add variety to your child’s linguistic repertoire: storytelling, pretend play, recipes and cooking, school-style reading and writing, and age-appropriate nonfiction in the heritage language. Research supports diversity of exposure (different speakers, contexts, registers) supports broader competence and increases proficiency. 

3) Create social motivation: peers, community and identity

Kids are social learners — they value languages that let them connect with friends and family. Arrange playdates with other heritage-language speakers, join cultural or faith groups, or set up video calls with relatives abroad. Research highlights the role of social context and identity in when and how bilingual advantages show up; language use is shaped by whether children see the language as meaningful to their social world.

4) Make the heritage language useful and fun — don’t make it a chore

Celebrate cultural stories, songs, food, and celebrations. Turn the language into shared family identity rather than “schoolwork” that a child has to “learn” after a long day in school. Children who enjoy the language and see it as part of family belonging are more likely to use it spontaneously. Learner well-being ties motivation and identity to sustained engagement in heritage languages. 

5) Monitor, adapt & be patient — children’s balances shift over time

The best thing you can do for yourself is to expect and accept changes — children shift toward the majority language in school years. This is normal and might be a signal to adapt your plan to the realities of your life and circumstances, not to panic. Increase HL exposure strategically when you notice declines (extra story time, heritage language classes, summer visits). Focus on what you can, control what you can, and release what you can’t 

Quick FAQ: Maintaining bilingualism during the school years

Will my child’s English suffer if I continue to focus on the home language?
No — evidence shows that heritage-language exposure does not harm English acquisition; bilingual children often reach age-appropriate milestones in the majority language while keeping benefits from the HL. Supporting both languages is additive, not subtractive. 

Is one parent speaking only their language (OPOL) enough?
Using the One Parent, One Language (OPOL) approach can help create consistent input, but it may not be enough once school starts and a child starts spending 8+ hours in the community language. As exposure to the majority language increases, you might need to add extra opportunities for your child to hear, use, and enjoy the home language through books, play, and interactions with extended family or community members.

If a child loses a language will it come back?

It depends. When children stop using a language, some skills fade faster than others — active skills tend to go first, while comprehension often lingers longer. Even after apparent “loss,” traces of the language remain in memory, which can make relearning easier later. However, reactivation takes time, motivation, and consistent input. The earlier you start intentionally reactivating the language (or preventing language loss), the better the outcomes.

What if my child has never spoken the home language?

If a child hasn’t actively used the home language before starting school, it becomes much harder for them to activate it later — but it’s not totally impossible with the right approach and resources. Young children typically have strong receptive (understanding) skills early on, but as English dominance grows, those skills fade without support. A structured, positive reintroduction plan can help turn passive knowledge into active use before it disappears entirely.

When should I get outside help?
Consider extra support if you see rapid HL decline, if your child resists the HL, if your child refuses the language, or if you want to be proactive to protect your child’s language skills. Heritage language classes, workshops, and targeted parent coaching can all be things you can do to help your child continue to meet your goals.

Final note: small, consistent actions add up over time

Maintaining a heritage language is a long game. Having a bilingual toddler doesn’t mean that they’ll stay bilingual forever and even kids at 7,8, or 9 haven’t fully stabilized their language. What matters most is consistency, variety, and making the language meaningful through all the seasons of life. Persistence is more important than perfection. 

Embrace the ebbs and flows and know when to reach out for more support.

And if you’re already dealing with passive bilingualism (or want to prevent it), The Language Reactivation Masterclass is almost here to help.