Charu Sareen Gujjal Talks About The Right Age To Introduce A New Language To Kids

She’s rightly named her blog page, The Mom Sagas, Charu Sareen Gujjal’s life as a mom to twins is nothing less than a saga. While many of us struggle and sometimes even pull our hair out with just one child at home, Charu has her hands full raising two! 

But the go-getter that she is, she manages it all with ease and at the same time she’s an influencer, and manages to document her journey as a mom, on her blog, as well as her Instagram page. She also works as an educationist and has authored parenting books.

Her blog themomsagas.com, is extremely popular with parents since it has everything from interesting stories about being a mom to twins, to parenting tips, womanhood, fashion, health, education, lifestyle and everything to do with kids.

In an exclusive interview with BabyChakra, Charu Sareen Gujjal shares her life saga.

1. How was The Mom Sagas born? 

The Mom Sagas was born around six years back when I had just become a new parent to twins.

It started as a personal blog (more like a digital diary) when I donned the hat of a mother. As a new mom I had lots to share. Each day with my twins, I would experience something new that would make me cry, laugh, and learn more about myself and motherhood. So I started penning all my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experiences on my blog. 

Eventually, it grew into a space that helped me connect with more moms/like-minded people, share my views on various topics, and simply write my heart out. Both my blog (themomsagas.com) and Instagram page (@themomsagas) mainly document my parenting experiences with my twins, along with my views on womanhood, health, education, and lifestyle. I also share about kid’s books, easy DIY, positive parenting, simple activity ideas, etc that can help keep kids engaged at home. 

2. You’re a blogger, an educationist, and now an author, besides being a mom to twins, how do you manage it all? 

I just go with the flow. Motherhood opened up a lot of new avenues for me to try new things and share my parenting journey with the world. Both my e-books  (A To Z of Parenting Twins & The Magic of Reading Aloud to Young Kids) document my  parenting experiences and things I do with my twins. Even on my blog & social media, I share all that I do with my kids (be it daily activities, a new DIY, books we read or a positive parenting tip or trick that worked for me). I only share my personal experiences and that makes it easy for me to manage it all.

3. What does your typical day look like? 

So my entire routine revolves around my kids’ daily routine. My day begins with waking up kids, getting them ready for their classes, finishing house chores and preparing meals while they study. Once kids are over with their school and classes, my work-from-home begins. I spend the next 3-4 hours in the afternoon working on daily deadlines and creating content for The Mom Sagas.  My evenings are mostly spent with kids – helping them finish homework, doing activities, playing games or going to park with them. We have dinner by 8 and kids sleep by 9 – 9.30 pm. Post that, my me-time begins where I read something or watch a show on Netflx with my husband. Our day typically ends by 11pm.

4. Tell us something more about your books.

I have written two books – A to Z of Parenting Twins & The Magic of Reading Aloud  to Young Kids. Both are available as e-books on Amazon.

A to Z of Parenting Twins addresses the common concerns that most new parents of twins face. It provides some relevant tips and strategies for handling the everyday challenges of raising twins. The initial months with twins could be overwhelming for any parent bringing loads of doubts, queries and practical concerns – how to go about breastfeeding twins, how to put them to sleep, how to manage them at night, and so on. And sometimes even the slightest information or tip by a fellow twin parent can come handy and useful in making things easier for them. This book records my personal experiences, anecdotes and answers such questions with the aim of helping new parents.

The Magic of Reading Aloud to Young Kids talks about the- why, how and what to read to young kids.

Reading aloud daily cultivates young minds and helps in the social, cognitive and emotional development of children. Yet, a lot of parents underestimate the power of starting early or making reading a habit. And the few parents who do read, find themselves clueless when it comes to picking the right books or holding the child’s interest. This book is a useful guide and a one-stop resource for parents to understand where to begin and how to  make this the most fun and engaging activity for kids. 

5. As a language trainer at what age do you think kids should be introduced to a new language? 

Kids are quick learners. So it’s never too early to introduce them to a new language. As soon as they start communicating and pick up their mother tongue, they can be introduced to a second language too. Age 3- 8 is considered as a vital period in a child’s life. This is when the foundations for attitudes, learning and thinking, are laid down. They pick up any new concept or language faster at this age.

6. Is it advisable to introduce one language at a time or can children be introduced to multiple languages at the same time? 

It is usually believed that teaching two or more languages to children can confuse them or cause delays in their learning. However, there is research now that suggests the benefits of bilingualism or even multilingualism. It has positive effects on the brain and leads to open-mindedness. This is one reason that even schools introduce three different languages to kids right from the primary grades. At my home, my kids learnt Hindi and English together as these are the two languages we speak at home. And now in school, they will also be learning a third language which is the state language, Kannada.

7. What are the benefits of teaching kids to be bilingual, and how does it help in their development? 

There are many cognitive and social benefits of bilingualism. It improves problem-solving, listening and critical thinking skills. In addition to this, it also improves their memory, concentration and even creativity. Children not just learn two languages but also get introduced to the culture associated with those languages. They are able to socially interact with people of different cultures and get exposed to a world of opportunities later on.

8. What is the best method to teach them different languages? 

There is no right or wrong method to teach kids’ different languages. At home, we follow one person, One Language approach where my husband speaks in Hindi and I speak in English with kids. Other than that, they pick up new words and vocabulary in both the languages from songs, stories and cartoons. Children pick up any language quickly when taught in a fun and play-way method. This especially works well in the case of teaching foreign languages. All they need is practice and consistency.

9. Tell us about your association with BabyChakra. 

I have been associated with BabyChakra since its inception. I was an active user of the app as a new mom, spending hours on the app, asking queries and connecting with more new parents. Today too, the app comes to my rescue for all things parenting – be it buying kid’s essentials or interacting with more like-minded moms. As a mom influencer too I have got multiple opportunities to collaborate and associate with BabyChakra and work with the team on various projects.

10. What message would you like to give parents who want to introduce their child to a foreign language

Children easily navigate multilingual environments, so learning a second language early in life opens up a world of opportunities for them. As parents, never force or push your child to learn but at the same time don’t hinder from providing them as many opportunities and authentic experiences as you can. They will pick up naturally at their own pace. Just give them plenty of time to practice.

Like Charu says, the trick to make children learn anything is to let them follow their own pace and give them time to practice.