Bilingual Parenting
A Bilingual Reading Activity Kit for Kids
Use this activity with a Vietnamese–English picture book you have previewed. It combines looking closely, listening to a short passage, choosing one word, and making a personal connection. This original Achieve Education activity is designed for a family, classroom, or library group to adapt.
Open the printable reading response sheet — A free page to print from your browser. No account required. Includes a child response page and short adult instructions.
Prepare the book and the language support
- Preview the actual edition you will read. Choose a short passage and a picture that invite discussion.
- Plan for about fifteen to twenty minutes, shortening or splitting the activity to suit the group.
- If you do not read Vietnamese confidently, arrange a willing adult reader or authorized audio for that passage. You can lead the English discussion yourself.
- Choose one Vietnamese word from the passage. Check its spelling, meaning, and pronunciation with the reader before the session.
- Gather paper and drawing materials. Let children answer aloud, draw, point, or write; avoid making an individual child responsible for translating for the group.
Use a four-part read-aloud
| Part | Adult prompt | Child’s choice |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Before reading: “What do you notice in this picture?” | Point, describe, or draw one detail. |
| Listen | Read a short passage with its meaning. Invite the Vietnamese reader to model the selected line. | Listen, follow the print, or join a repeated word. |
| Connect | “Does anything here remind you of something you know?” | Share a connection, invent a possibility, or pass. |
| Revisit | Return to the chosen word and picture: “Where did we hear this?” | Point, say the word, or explain its meaning in either language. |
Choose a book around a topic
For a celebration session, preview Bringing in Tết or Bringing in the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. For clothing and heritage, preview Mai’s Story: The Legacy of Áo Dài. For a family-and-food conversation, preview Grandma’s Bánh of Love. Use the questions above with the words and pictures in your own copy; this kit does not reproduce book pages or prescribe unverified plot details.
Compare the Vietnamese–English children’s book collection
Use the Tết family-memory activity
Use the response sheet
The sheet has room for the book title, a picture detail, one word with its English meaning, and a connection or question. A younger child can draw and dictate while an adult writes. A child who reads independently can add a sentence and point to the part of the book that supports it.
For a group, offer sharing rather than requiring it. Children may have different family experiences, language confidence, or relationships to the celebration. A personal connection can be to a color, a sound, a food, or another book; it need not disclose family history.
What to record afterward
Note the book and edition, passage used, word practiced, and which response options children chose. Use the next session to revisit an inviting passage or answer a question the group raised. A finished worksheet shows participation in this activity; it does not by itself establish vocabulary growth or reading proficiency.
Sharing and classroom use
You may print and share Achieve Education’s original response sheet for family, classroom, and library activities with its attribution kept intact. This permission covers the sheet, not reproductions of book text, illustrations, or recordings. Use your legally obtained book and check separate permissions before recording or publishing a read-aloud.