Mohammed & Layla
From: 🇪🇬 Egypt
Ages: 39 & 37
Languages Spoken: Arabic, English
Current Location: Toronto, Canada
Children: Youssef (age 6), Mariam (age 2)
Story: Immigrant couple keeping Arabic alive at home while navigating a fully English-speaking environment. They use Arabic at home and during religious activities, and English at school and playgroups.
¿Puedes describir los antecedentes lingüísticos de tu familia?
We were both raised in Cairo speaking Egyptian Arabic, with English taught in school from a young age. We moved to Canada ten years ago, where English became our default language for work and outside the home. But Arabic is still our heart language.
¿Qué idiomas utilizáis, cómo y dónde y cómo decidisteis esa mezcla?
Arabic at home — all the time. English is used at school, at playgroups, and in wider social settings. We decided early on that if we didn’t prioritise Arabic, it would be lost quickly. So our house is an Arabic-speaking bubble.
¿Por qué es importante para usted enseñar esos idiomas?
Arabic connects our children to their roots — their grandparents, their religion, their identity. English is necessary for life in Canada, but Arabic is where our culture lives. We don’t want them to grow up feeling disconnected.
¿Cuándo decidió por primera vez criar a sus hijos de forma bilingüe?
Before Youssef was born. We agreed that home would be a language sanctuary — no matter what language surrounded us outside.
¿Seguiste una estrategia específica (por ejemplo, OPOL, ML@H) o evolucionó naturalmente?
We follow a pretty strict ML@H (Minority Language at Home). Everyone speaks Arabic at home — even Mariam’s cartoons are in Arabic. English enters naturally through daily life in Toronto.
¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores preocupaciones al principio y cómo se desarrollaron con el tiempo?
We worried that if we pushed Arabic too much, Youssef might fall behind in English. But kids absorb so fast. He was fluent in English within a few months of starting preschool, and Arabic is still strong.
¿Qué te ayudó a mantener la constancia en el uso de ambos idiomas? ¿Cuál es tu rutina?
Arabic is for everything: food, bedtime stories, discipline, prayer, songs. We do Qur’an reading together in Arabic, which strengthens vocabulary. We also choose Arabic cartoons, music, and kids’ shows to keep it fun.
¿Ha cambiado su enfoque a medida que su hijo crece?
With Youssef now in school, we’ve added Arabic reading practice and some writing lessons. With Mariam, it’s still mostly songs and spoken interaction. We adjust depending on the child’s age and needs.
¿Cómo maneja usted la resistencia o cuando su hijo prefiere un idioma?
When Youssef leans into English, we gently bring him back. If he answers in English, we respond in Arabic and rephrase it for him to copy. No scolding — just repetition and encouragement.
¿Ha experimentado algún momento de avance o de orgullo en su desarrollo del lenguaje?
Yes — when Youssef told a bedtime story in Arabic to his baby sister using full sentences and dramatic expression. It was beautiful, and completely unprompted.
¿Qué papel ha desempeñado su familia extendida o su comunidad al apoyar (o desafiar) sus metas?
Our families in Egypt speak only Arabic with the children over video calls. We also attend a local mosque and Arabic language school every weekend. That community has been a lifeline.
¿Tienes una anécdota divertida o inesperada de tu experiencia bilingüe? Nos encantaría escucharla.
Youssef once told a teacher that “In Arabic, we don’t say please — we say min faḍlak, which is politer than please!” He said it so proudly we just had to laugh.
¿Alguna vez has sentido presión (interna o externa) por tus objetivos bilingües?
Definitely. There’s a quiet pressure in immigrant communities — the fear your kids will lose their “mother tongue.” And sometimes we question if we’re being too strict with Arabic, but long-term, it’s worth it.
¿Sientes que tu hijo se conecta emocional o culturalmente con ambos idiomas?
Yes. Arabic is for cuddles, comfort, and prayer. English is for school and the outside world. He understands the different “worlds” each language represents and moves between them with ease.
¿Cuál ha sido el desafío más inesperado?
Finding modern, age-appropriate Arabic books that aren’t too religious or too dry. Most are either classic folktales or textbook-style. We’re still searching for better resources.
¿Qué es lo que más te ha sorprendido de forma positiva?
How much the children enjoy the Arabic side. When it’s part of music, food, and stories, it doesn’t feel like a chore — it becomes something they love.
¿Qué tecnología u otros recursos utiliza para apoyar el aprendizaje de idiomas?
We use YouTube Kids (with filters), the Quran Companion app, Arabic audiobooks, and calligraphy tracing workbooks. We also record our own voice notes telling stories for the kids to listen to at bedtime.
¿Los entornos escolares o de cuidado infantil han ayudado o dificultado el proceso?
English-dominant schooling hasn’t hurt their Arabic, but it means we have to do extra work at home. Luckily, some teachers are very supportive and even ask about Arabic greetings or cultural tips.
Si pudieras hacer una cosa diferente ¿qué sería?
We wish we had introduced Arabic reading earlier with Youssef. Now we’re playing catch-up while he’s already reading English fluently. But we’re getting there.
¿Qué consejo le darías a otros padres que están empezando?
Make your language part of your daily life, not just a “lesson.” Speak, sing, laugh, pray, and tell stories in your language. And trust that your kids will get it — even if it takes time.