Kofi & Marijke
From: 🇬🇭 Ghana + 🇳🇱 Netherlands
Ages: 33 & 35
Languages Spoken: Twi, Dutch, English
Current Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Child: Nia, age 4
Story: Trilingual household. Nia speaks Dutch at daycare, Twi with Dad, and English with Grandma. Singing is their bonding language.
¿Puedes describir los antecedentes lingüísticos de tu familia?
Kofi grew up in Ghana speaking Twi at home and English at school. Marijke is Dutch and speaks only Dutch natively but learned English while studying abroad. Our family now juggles all three languages daily.
¿Qué idiomas utilizáis, cómo y dónde y cómo decidisteis esa mezcla?
Twi is spoken with Kofi and his family, Dutch is used in daycare and with Marijke’s side of the family, and English is our common language at home and the one Nia uses with her grandma (Kofi’s mum, who lives with us). We didn’t plan it rigidly—it just evolved with who speaks what.
¿Por qué es importante para usted enseñar esos idiomas?
Language is identity. We don’t want Nia to grow up knowing just one part of her heritage. Each language connects her to a different world—school, family, culture, and future.
¿Cuándo decidió por primera vez criar a su hijo de forma bilingüe?
As soon as we found out we were expecting. We knew we’d be a multilingual household, and we wanted to be intentional about making it feel normal from the start.
¿Seguiste una estrategia específica (por ejemplo, OPOL, ML@H) o evolucionó naturalmente?
It’s closest to OPOL. Kofi always speaks Twi with Nia, Marijke speaks Dutch, and English slips in naturally as the language we all use together. It’s a bit of a rotating model more than strict strategy.
¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores preocupaciones al principio y cómo se desarrollaron con el tiempo?
We worried about language confusion or delayed speech. But that was based on myths. She’s actually super verbal. Sometimes she mixes words, but she understands context well.
¿Qué te ayudó a mantener la constancia en el uso de ambos idiomas? ¿Cuál es tu rutina?
Singing has been our anchor. Each language has its own songs. We sing Twi lullabies, Dutch nursery rhymes, and English songs together. It makes language joyful and routine.
¿Ha cambiado su enfoque a medida que su hijo crece?
A bit—we’ve introduced more reading in each language. Twi books are harder to find, so we sometimes translate on the fly. She’s starting to ask more questions about where words come from.
¿Cómo maneja usted la resistencia o cuando su hijo prefiere un idioma?
She went through a Dutch-only phase after starting daycare. We didn’t force her to switch—just kept exposing her to the other languages through play and songs. It passed quickly.
¿Ha experimentado algún momento de avance o de orgullo en su desarrollo del lenguaje?
Yes—she once translated a Twi proverb into Dutch for her nursery teacher. It blew us away. She got the meaning, not just the words.
¿Qué papel ha desempeñado su familia extendida o su comunidad al apoyar (o desafiar) sus metas?
Our families have been great. Kofi’s mum speaks Twi and English, and Marijke’s parents try to learn a few Twi words just to show interest. That encouragement matters.
¿Tienes una anécdota divertida o inesperada de tu experiencia bilingüe? Nos encantaría escucharla.
Nia once made up her own “language” combining words from all three. She told us she speaks “Twenchutch” and insists it’s only for talking to her toys. We let her run with it.
¿Alguna vez has sentido presión (interna o externa) por tus objetivos bilingües?
Yes—mostly from Dutch people who think speaking Dutch “should be enough.” But we remind ourselves that our home life is bigger than just one culture.
¿Sientes que tu hijo se conecta emocional o culturalmente con ambos idiomas?
Absolutely. When we video call family in Ghana, she lights up and uses Twi naturally. But she’s also very attached to Dutch food, songs, and books. She belongs to both worlds.
¿Cuál ha sido el desafío más inesperado?
Finding books and media in Twi for her age group. English and Dutch are easy to access, but Twi resources often need to be homemade or adapted.
¿Qué es lo que más te ha sorprendido de forma positiva?
How naturally she code-switches. She’ll use one language with one person, then switch mid-sentence when someone else enters the room. It’s seamless and impressive.
¿Qué tecnología u otros recursos utiliza para apoyar el aprendizaje de idiomas?
YouTube has been helpful for Twi and Dutch kids’ songs. We use subtitles in English and Dutch on TV. Also, language flashcard apps help us reinforce vocabulary.
¿Los entornos escolares o de cuidado infantil han ayudado o dificultado el proceso?
Mostly helped—her daycare teachers are supportive and aware of her multilingual background. They even added her favourite Twi song to circle time once!
Si pudieras hacer una cosa diferente ¿qué sería?
Start recording family stories in Twi sooner. Kofi’s mum has so many traditional tales, and we’re just now realising how valuable it is to capture those for Nia.
¿Qué consejo le darías a otros padres que están empezando?
Don’t panic if it feels messy. Trilingual life isn’t always tidy, but it’s worth it. Let your child see the joy in each language. Celebrate the small wins, like saying “thank you” in all three.