Yes, if you are a child.  It will help if you expose your child to sounds of different languages starting from age zero to two years old. In fact, parents that say at seven they will start their child with Spanish lessons for example, well, its already too late. Youtube can help your baby and child learn a language.  Yes babies can learn from YouTube videos.  I think songs are the best.

A child learns sound variations  and prunes brain cells until the age of about two years old.  So if you want your child to speak a language like a native, expose them to YouTube and other sounds at a very young age. Forget savior Harvard and Yale teach them languages before the age of five.  This will open up a child’s brain more than any stupid hundred thousand dollar sheep skin degree.  If you can stay home with your kids and help them yourself, it is more important that being a VIP at work.

Can adults learn a language from YouTube like children

Adults need structure to learn.  YouTube is chaos, maybe a few basic vocabulary words and phrases.  The best thing on YouTube are songs.  This can help but it still does not give you the structure you need for grammar.  I am a big believer that adult brains function different than children’s brains.  Adults need grammatical structure.  Children need simply exposure to sounds. Therefore, yes YouTube can help adults learn a language but YouTube helps children better.

How to teach your child a language with YouTube

You need to be proactive in the videos you want.  After they sit there for a while and decided what their favorite videos are, and they will decide even at one years old, then you can start to be proactive.  Proactive in teaching means asking question during some but not all of the videos and latter relating what your child saw the on the video to something in real life.

If they learn the word ‘cow’ on a children’s song video, then while you are reading them a book with farm animals as them which one is the cow.  Or on a blackboard or drawing board, draw a picture of a cow.

This can all be done from age one to age two mind you, not age ten, at age ten it is too late to learn a foreign language like a native.

I also recommend considering a tutor.  A trusted baby sitter who might speak another language.

Best children’s educational videos for language and life on YouTube

I recommend  CullensABCs, these are for learning English.   Cullen’s ABC are the best videos on the web for educating your children about life. There are many others that are good also. For example, Eric Herman or another group are the Wiggles.  If you looking for children’s vidoes on YouTube these are the best.

Foreign language videos on YouTube

You can find similar videos for Spanish and French and Chinese on different sites if you search enough.

Finding a good video for teaching your children a language is more trial and error.  Activechinese.com has a good series which can be found on YouTube for example if you want to teach your children Chinese.

Children's vidoes on YouTube are a great way to teach your child languages

This will of course be only a supplement to traditional teaching later on for your child.  This post

Why do I need to prove my residency? I have a daughter that I am trying to get confirmed as a US citizen. The process is actually easy but a lot of paperwork.  One of the requirements is to prove that you have lived in the USA for at least 5 years.

What documents are acceptable to prove residency?

• passport new and old with exit and entry stamps
• tax returns
• school records, high school or college
• social security statements
• w-2 forms
• or travel records obtained which you can get by writing the  U.S. Customs and Border Protection the address is: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW;  Mint Annex Building, FOIA Division; Washington, DC  zip 20229

The easiest is bring all your old passports.

I tried to get my tax returns as I keep them online with turbo tax, however, they do not go back far enough.

I live in Poland and many Polish people complain about paper work.  Actually I found that Polish paperwork and proof of residency easier than US.  See in Poland you have a PESEL and the governments knows everything about you (thow back from communism) based on this. While in the US, there is no real central control over citizen records, the responsiblity is on you to prove it.

On a side note I believe  that Obama was born in the US and is a natural US citizen. However, if I have to provide my citizenship and residency using only  ‘long form’ records with the seals seem in person for all to see,  as I was told at the embassy this morning ( they  rejected my short form) then why should Obama not make all the birthers happy and just show the long form not an electronic short form. It would be the respectful think to do. Anyway its a dead issue, he will never do that, and he most likely was born in HI.

If you want to prove your residency for citizenship and or children born abroad to a US citizen or to be president of the US, be prepared to be honest, as they can check everything, and have good records with raised seals and official stamps.

Babies listen to a language for about a year.  They are actively listening before they even speak their first real word.  One year.  If you also listened to your target language you are trying to learn, actively for a year, you would be surprised how fast and how well you would speak that language.

Listening is the most important skill in learning a language

Yes babies learn a language slightly different, but listening is the most important skill.   I tell my students to listen.  Listen to audio books, listen to radio online, not just short clips of auto or watching movies, but radio.  Listen until the language comes out your ears and you can not take any more.  Until your head hurts.

Many people say, ‘I want to speak a language’.  I tell them learn to listen, like a baby, for about a year.  Then you will speak your target language well. A baby learns a language by listening actively.

I am not going to restate obvious facts that about how your interaction with your baby from 0 to 8 will influence how your baby’s brain develops. Instead here is a list of things you can do to help your baby’s brain. Starting as early as you think.  Some people start these at 3 months or before.

• Play classical music from birth
• Give them a musical instrument like a small keyboard so they can start playing it and know that when they press a key a sound is made.
• Drawing
• Using the computer keyword or mouse for a drawing program with bright colors
• Holding and looking at chess pieces and spatial relationships
• Learning another language, even via youtube
• Reading
• Counting
• Have them feel different textures and smell different things
• Be demonstrative

People do the above at age 4 or 5 years old.  But remember Mozart was writing music by this time as his father taught him music from the start.  I wonder if you interact with your baby with the above tasks at 4 or 5 months not 4 or 5 years if this would help enrich your baby ‘s brain?

My neighbor is a rich guy and has one child. He asked me when he thinks his daughter should start English.  I said today. Why?

Infants have a unique ability to discriminate speech-sound (phonetic) differences, but over time they lose this skill for differentiating sounds in languages other than their native tongue. For example, 6 month old babies who were learning English were able to distinguish between similar-sounding Hindi consonants not found in English, but they lost this ability by 12 months of age. (Science daily)

I would rather spend time and money on my baby and child below the age 5 rather, than send them to Harvard.  Why? At this young age their brain needs to learn. It can do amazing things. They like it and are happy to learn.  If their brain determines brain cells are not needed it will prune these brains away. Lost forever. This includes learning a language. Many parents think they will turn on the jets and help their kids with homework when they are teenagers. Or just save for college. Wrong. Help your kids today and latter they just need moral guidance.  When they are babies their brain cries for development help them by stimulating their language development at age 6 months, 1 year etc.

Instead my neighbor spend the money on a ski vacation in Austria than pay for English lessons, he said oh she will learn English someday.

What do you think of that?

I wrote a page on how to help your baby learn a language. I do not want to repeat what I wrote there, however, if you have personal ideas or experience that you think might help others let me know. I can add them. In particular things that you really truly thing would help or have seen that helps a baby or child learn a language beyond the obvious. In my list of things I think I have a few interesting ideas that are beyond the obvious. Let me know what you think.  Also, I think these ideas are really not that far off from teaching adults to learn a language.  Basically we all want to be children again, at least in our mental outlook. Some of us are and working with developing your baby’s language skills allows you to have the best of both worlds.

What is a baby’s language development like in the first three months of life. A baby is focused on a few things.

Baby’s listening to language

First a baby becomes aware of sounds, reacting to loud noises, and soothed by calming sounds etc. Second, a baby tries to localizes the sound. That is, where is the sound coming from and what is the source. Third, a baby starts to differentiate between sounds. This means a baby tries to understand the difference between “ha’ and ‘na’ these are very small difference and very important.  A baby’s brain will register these two sounds in different parts of the brain. So the first three months are about, awareness, localization and differentiation. Some comprehension might start but that is for the second three months.

Baby’s speaking language

For the first three months a baby does speak, it covey’s information by crying and cooing and starts to exercises its vocal and mouth/tongue by making gurgling/baby noises and it becomes aware that they are the source of this sound. Basically it a baby tries to convey information the best it can.

How to stimulate your baby’s language during the first three months

I think softly played classical music during the day while your baby is sleeping is a start.  In the middle of the night no music so he or she can start to understand the difference between night and day. Classical music will help with the sound differentiation part. Classical music has subtle sounds. For the speaking part, your baby will listen to your tones more than your words but just speak normally, and if you want in a demonstrative way. Although comprehension comes latter it does not hurt to show him or her things and name them. Babies respond to concrete, I do not believe playing language mp3′s to babies or TV or radio will do any good, classical music is much better for passive listening. Also sing to your baby, you will see your baby respond. So in conclusion to help your babies language skills in the first three months, music, song and conversation is very good for your baby in the first three months.

We play music when our baby sleeps during the day. Music is relaxing. We also speak to our baby and I am sure she is starting to pick up sounds, in both Polish and English. She is a new one. However, what does she respond to the most? Singing. When I am singing, words, not just humming a tune, but real English or Polish words, she is the most responsive. Music just on the radio, no. But a live concrete person singing to her yes.

Can a baby learn a language by TV. No. Babies need concrete real things to see and experience. You can not teach a baby by a mp3 for example although adults yes. A baby needs real, as their brains are not operating in an the world of abstractions. And language coming from a box is not real. Music being song by an adult in front of baby is real. If you want to help your new born baby learn a language. Try singing to him or her.

The truth is all times and ages are good to start a child with a language. However, the question is do you want them to speak like a native or like a foreigner. I live in Krakow, and many parents say they will start their children young with learning English, like 8 years old. I think this is great. Bravo, as few American do this. I know I am an American, and although my parents were native Polish and Ukrainian speakers as well as English of course, they only taught me English, this is America.

When are the most important years for a child to learn? -5 months to 0 to 3 years old. I remember when I was 2 and 3 years old I was already conscious and I have clear conversational memories to this day. Children grow brain cells before they are born. Their brains are complete before they are born. At the age of 0 to 5 years they prune away brain cells not needed. But no new cell growth really occurs only connections. Therefore, teaching a child a new language at 8 is like teaching a person at 28 almost. So why not start when the child’s brain has no pruned away the brain cells and can still naturally differentiate sounds. I would rather give my kids a tutor speaking to them as babies then a Ivy league education. IQ is formed very early as are many talents and the first 8 years are very important to a babies cognitive development including language skills. I think from conception to age 8 at most, IQ is formed and from 8 to 18 emotional intelligence is formed. So if you want your children to speak a language as a native – start early. Many people are busy with their jobs, but my reply is what more important job in the world could there be than raising a child. And although being bilingual is not a must for a child, its a nice gift to give your children.