Sometimes solutions come from the most unexpected places. My son Karl was born and raised in Marple, England, and I had always intended to teach him Swedish. The best of intentions… it started out well; I bought Swedish picture books, we read and listened to children’s songs, we (mostly I) conversed in Swedish, and we watched SVT Play. Fast forward a few years, and what had felt like a given—integrating Swedish into Karl’s daily life—was suddenly not so simple. Virtually everyone in the baby groups, which became toddler groups, which became primary school, spoke English. Heritage language support or Swedish school was not offered where we live. I could, of course, speak Swedish with Karl; however, the majority of his time was spent in English-speaking environments, and it became clear to me that we needed something more structured to make Swedish a meaningful part of Karl’s life. I searched for suitable Swedish instruction online and asked around, but I could not find anything that felt right.
Karl always looked forward to celebrating Christmas and spending summer vacations with his grandparents in Sweden. We went skiing, camped in the archipelago, ate waffles and “semlor,” baked “kladdkaka,” visited Skansen, read Karlsson on the Roof, and celebrated Midsummer, Lucia, and name days. Karl’s Swedish references and experiences grew—but he still did not speak Swedish, and the months and years passed.
Until a cold winter evening in Copenhagen; enter Melodifestivalen. By chance, we watched one of the heats in a hotel room while on our way to Sweden, and Karl was completely captivated. What I could not have predicted was that Karl’s enthusiasm for this most Swedish of traditions would finally spark an interest in the Swedish language! Unexpected as it was, while Karl memorized “Mello” songs, I continued my search for Swedish instruction with renewed energy. This time I came across SMUL online; it sounded perfect with its combination of language instruction and focus on Swedish culture, groups with overseas Swedish children rather than just individual tutoring, and teachers with broad international experience and knowledge. After a meeting with Louise, we enrolled in the beginner course and started in September.
To say that Karl is now bilingual would, of course, be an exaggeration, but thanks to his teacher Annika and her kindness, professionalism, and patience, his vocabulary is steadily increasing. His understanding is constantly improving, and he feels a sense of community by learning together with other children in similar situations. We look forward to many more fun and creative years together with SMUL.
Post written by Lisa Brink