Many people think that children raised by parents who speak two or more languages will naturally become bilingual
or multilingual. However, in a monolingual country (like Japan or the USA), raising a bilingual child requires planning
and attention. This presentation covers six factors involved for successful bilingualism. Also presented are the social,
emotional and cognitive benefits of raising children to speak in two or more languages. Tips for adding bi-literacy skills
will be included. This talk will be of benefit to any family that is hoping that their child(ren) will be bilingual.

Mary Nobuoka has been in Japan since 1994. She and her bilingual husband have a 15 year old son and
two bilingual cats. She currently teaches various courses at Keio, Waseda and Gakushuin Universities. She
also holds literacy skills classes for bilingual children.

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