Have you ever heard people switch between two languages in the same sentence? It might sound like they are mixing things up but what they are actually doing is way more common than you might think.
A lot of people assume that if kids mix languages, it means they are confused or not fluent in either one. But it really is not the case because research shows that kids who grow up speaking more than one language are just as fluent, sometimes even more flexible, in their communication than kids who only speak one.
When children are raised in bilingual houses, their brains learn to manage two or even more language systems at the same time. So when they switch languages, they are not making mistakes, they are simply showing how easily they can move between them. It’s like you have two boxes in your brain and know exactly which tool to use in each situation.
Of course they can and will be challenges. Some teachers and adults worry that language mixing might slow down learning especially when the kids are still mastering grammar and vocab. But as long as they get enough exposure to practice both, they usually en up catching up. They might even outperform their monolingual peers in tasks that involve memory and creativity.

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