At nursery, he spoke another language. At home, he sang ours.

Malo, my nearly three-year-old son, heard mostly English at nursery and French at home. One evening, I asked him to repeat a word he’d learned that day.

He looked at me, then started a song in French. The one we sang while making our hands sail like a little boat.

I tried to return to my English word. Malo started the song again, louder. He was waiting for my movement.

I’d planned a little revision session. He was inviting me to sing.

I’d given more value to what came from nursery

When Malo brought home an English word, I noticed straight away. I asked what it meant, listened to him repeat it and thought it was wonderful.

The French in our meals, stories and songs felt more ordinary. It was part of the background. I’d almost started believing that real learning happened elsewhere and that I needed to extend it in the evenings.

Yet in this song, Malo waited for a turn, repeated a phrase and corrected me when I made the movement too soon. He knew this particular conversation very well.

I didn’t have to choose which of his languages deserved our attention that evening. I could follow what he wanted to share.

Keep a language alive in little moments

I sat down beside him and we started again. He decided the boat was going very fast, then falling into the water. The song now had a sound effect that wasn’t in any official version.

At home, we can tell a story, talk about what’s missing for dinner or invent the next part of a song. I can use the words that come naturally, let him reply with his own and keep the exchange going.

If he slips an English word into a French sentence, I can understand what he means or ask him. I don’t need to interrupt every mixture to make him recite the sentence correctly.

That doesn’t replace conversations with the nursery team if a question comes up. But our living room doesn’t need to become a second classroom.

That evening, Malo sang to the end. Then he announced the boat’s departure with an English word.

I understood that we needed to move our hands.

We hadn’t revised a single list. We’d talked a lot.