Homeschooling thrives on love, connection, and joyful experiences—and the same holds true for raising bilingual children. On the Homeschool Ways podcast, I spoke with Christine Yang Barry, founder of JoJo Learning and creator of the JoJo Chinese Songs for Baby & Me musical book series. [affiliate link]

Christine, a native Mandarin speaker raising three multilingual children (Mandarin, English, Spanish) in the U.S., draws from 20+ years helping families start bilingual journeys.

JoJo Learning

The big question she hears? “Bilingualism is exciting, but where do I start?” Her answer: Start young, start with love, and start with music. Babies are natural language sponges during the critical period from birth to age 7, when the brain absorbs languages effortlessly through listening, repetition, and patterns. Research from experts like Dr. Patricia Kuhl shows newborns distinguish all world sounds (fading by 6–12 months), and early bilingual exposure boosts executive function, focus, multitasking, reading, and math skills. Continue reading »