Dual Language Learners – Plano Library Learns

Why learn two languages?

Babies are prewired to recognize the differences between languages and are uniquely capable of learning more than one language at time. Infants can learn the sounds of any language they are exposed to, and will naturally gravitate towards those languages or sounds they hear most. Exposing children to words, regardless of the language spoken, is the best way to help them learn.

Getting Started

Talk, read, sing, and play with your child in many languages. As you enjoy time together, talk directly to your child to build their early vocabulary.
Give your child plenty of opportunities to talk in both languages. It takes time and practice for your child to sort out and use new words.
Celebrate your language. Your child is learning a valuable skill!
Look for books and other materials in several languages. You can practice reading aloud in more than one language.
Read and converse with your child in your preferred language. You can point out similarities between English and other languages to help reinforce their learning.

Library Resources

Bilingual Backpacks

A Bilingual Backpack is an all-in-one resource available for check-out at all of our locations. These backpacks include a combination of resources such as books, DVDs, launchpads, and manipulatives. Bilingual Backpacks are available in the following languages: American Sign Language (ASL), Chinese, English as a Second Language (ESL), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
See our collection on the Plano Public Library online catalog

Wonderbooks

A Wonderbook is an audio-enabled book that takes the read-along experience to an entirely new level. With Wonderbooks, you no longer have to deal with the additional CD to listen to as you read along. Wonderbooks place the audio inside the book, making them easier to check out and keep track of (even when tiny hands are involved). We currently offer Wonderbooks in English and Spanish. Enjoy your favorite books and authors, including a selection of Eric Litwin titles, Wonderbook-style at Plano Public Library!

OverDrive Read-Alongs

OverDrive offers access to Spanish Language Read-Alongs with your Plano Public Library card. A read-along through OverDrive is a professionally-recorded narration that accompanies an e-book. The e-book can be read along with the narrator to enhance the learning experience. Download the Libby app to access all of OverDrive’s Spanish Read-Alongs.

Kanopy Kids

Kanopy Kids has over 40 educational videos to help teach your child another language. Little Pim and BBC’s Muzzy are two of the most popular contributors of these videos on Kanopy. These educational videos cover a range of languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
The cherry on top is that Kanopy Kids gives you unlimited streaming through your Plano Public Library card (Kanopy –for adults- provides you with 5 video credits per month.) Access Kanopy Kids through our website to check out all of the educational (and entertaining) streaming selections.

Junior World Language

Plano Public Library’s Junior World Language collection includes books and media in a wide variety of languages. Materials for your early learner can be found in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tamil and Vietnamese.
This collection includes Easy (picture) books, board books, Junior fiction and Junior nonfiction.
Not all languages are housed at every Plano Public Library location, so please check with your closest location for more details on the Junior World Language collection.

Languages in Storytime

Storytime Around the World

Introduce your child to a new language! Storytime Around the World is a series of bilingual storytimes that introduce basic vocabulary words through stories, songs and movement activities. No language skills are needed. This storytime is appropriate for all early learners (ages 0-5 years).
Storytime Around the World offers an introduction to the following languages in a seasonal rotation: Arabic, Chinese, French, Hindi, Korean and Spanish.
Check with your closest Plano Public Library to learn which locations are currently offering this storytime.