Teaching Filipino in the Charlotte Mason Method

One of the main concerns of Filipino parents, whether homeschooling or not, is Filipino lessons. 

I believe the challenge is because most of us don’t speak Filipino in the home. I’m not referring to a colonial mentality of speaking English in the home in favor of our language. What I mean is, unless you live in Manila or other Luzon provinces that speak Filipino, more likely than not, Filipino will not be your first language. 

For example, in Western Visayas where I’m from, our first language is Hiligaynon, and Kiniray-a in many municipalities. In Eastern Visayas and some provinces in Mindanao, it can be Bisaya. 

How our children learned English

In reality, English also is not our first language. But for provinces who don’t speak Filipino, it seems easier for children to learn English than Filipino. Why do you think that’s so?

Let me offer some possible reasons.

1. We use English words in daily conversation

Although we may not speak English as a first language, most families are used to mixing English words in daily conversation. For example, we may tell our baby, “Gusto mo milk?” Or “Come here, baby, play kamo (Filipino: kayo) ni Manong (Kuya).” We also teach our toddlers to say “Please” and “Thank you.” This means that children grow up with a good collection of English words to start them off understanding the language.

2. We read English picture books

In addition to the English words we use daily, we also have access to more English picture books. 

When my first son was in kindergarten and we started homeschooling, I didn’t know how picture books could help build language. I was frustrated when my son wasn’t able to understand the chapter books I read to him. Some kind English-speaking mothers reminded me that English wasn’t our first language, and recommended me to start by reading him picture books. We took a break from the homeschool materials I’d bought and read plenty of picture books. Within months, his comprehension of English soared, so that he was soon able to understand chapters I read to him which only had one picture every few pages! 

In the Charlotte Mason method, we don’t explain what we read, so the pictures help the child understand the context of the words.

Thankfully, more and more Filipino authors are rising up to give us a wealth of Filipino storybooks, among which, for the Charlotte Mason method, we want to choose the best written living books. 

3. We watch English cartoons and shows

If your child watches cartoons, chances are, they’re in English. Globalization, right? 

Do you remember when we were kids, when cable wasn’t yet in town? Our cartoons were usually translated into Filipino. 

These days, we watch English cartoons and English shows, and then wonder why our child doesn’t understand Filipino. 

4. We sing English songs 

The same holds true for songs. Who among us hasn’t sung English nursery rhymes or lullabies, like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to our babies and toddlers? 

I’m not saying we should stop singing English nursery rhymes, but looking at our need for more exposure to Filipino, maybe we can add Filipino folk songs to our repertoire for our children from a young age as well. 

Learning Filipino as a Second Language

If your first language is Filipino, I encourage you to speak it at home! They say the best way to learn a language is by immersion, and rightly so! Then, find books, sing songs, and read stories in Filipino, applying the Charlotte Mason tool of narration. 

For families whose first language is not Filipino, we are essentially learning Filipino as a second (or third) language.

My proposal would be to teach it as we taught our children English: adding words to the vocabulary, exposing them to Filipino songs and stories, and helping them understand the language through listening and speaking before expecting them to read and write. 

Then, just as we read English stories and expect our children to narrate back, we expect the same for our Filipino stories. 

After much exposure to the language, that’s the time we can go into the nitty-gritty of grammar and other language rules.

Of course, this is just an overview, and we will flesh out how this can look in more practical details in our blog. Sign up to stay updated on new posts!