Therapy for Bilingual Children Using the Krakow Method®

Bilingualism and multilingualism are now a natural part of life for many families. Children growing up in different language environments develop communicative competence simultaneously in several language systems. This is a great developmental asset, but it also requires conscious and well‑informed support.

At our Psychological and Educational Counseling Centre, we provide assessment and therapy for bilingual children using the Krakow Method®, taking into account each child’s individual language history, developmental needs, and family situation.

Language of the Heart and Language of the Majority

When working with bilingual children, it is particularly important to distinguish between:

• the language of the heart – the language of closest emotional relationships, most often used at home; it builds a sense of security, identity, and family bonds;
• the language of the majority – the language of the social environment, education, and functioning outside the home (e.g. kindergarten, school, peer groups).

Proper development of a bilingual child requires support for both of these areas. Preserving the language of the heart fosters emotional and cognitive development, while developing the language of the majority enables effective social and educational functioning.

Our practice is based on the assumption that a child should not lose the language of the heart in favor of the language of the majority, but should instead develop both systems harmoniously.

Specialized Assessment of Bilingual Children

Assessing the development of a bilingual child requires particular diagnostic caution. Language difficulties do not always indicate a disorder – they may result from the natural process of acquiring two languages.

Therefore, the diagnostic process includes:

• a detailed developmental and language interview,
• analysis of the child’s history of exposure to languages,
• assessment of spontaneous communication,
• assessment of cognitive functions.

In diagnostic work, we use, among others, the non‑verbal SON‑R test, which allows us to assess a child’s cognitive potential independently of their level of language competence. This is especially important for children whose proficiency in the majority language is still developing intensively.

Such an approach helps avoid misdiagnosis based solely on language limitations.

“Events Diary” – a Tool Supporting Language Development

One important element of therapy is the events diary – the systematic creation, together with the child, of short notes, photos, or illustrations documenting everyday experiences.

The events diary supports:

• development of narrative skills,
• sentence construction and grammatical structures,
• sequential memory,
• vocabulary expansion,
• organization of experiences and understanding of time.

This tool works particularly well with bilingual children because it allows them to practice talking about real-life experiences in an organized way and helps build a bridge between the language of home and the language of education.

Therapy Using the Krakow Method® with a Bilingual Child

In therapy, we use, among others:

• Simultaneous‑Sequential Reading Instruction®,
• language programming,
• stimulation of auditory and visual functions,
• memory and concentration exercises,
• development of communicative and social competences.

Therapeutic goals include:

• supporting the development of Polish as the language of education or the language of the heart,
• organizing and differentiating language systems,
• developing communication and narrative skills,
• supporting school readiness.

Cooperation with Parents

A key element of working with a bilingual child is cooperation with the family. Parents receive specific guidance on:

• supporting the language of the heart at home,
• organizing contact with the language of the majority,
• everyday language activities,
• keeping an events diary.

We Invite You for a Consultation

If you have questions about the language development of a child growing up in a multilingual environment or would like to consult their communication development, we invite you to our Psychological and Educational Counseling Centre.

We offer professional assessment and therapy conducted by a certified Krakow Method® therapist, taking into account the specific needs of bilingual and multicultural children. We help children develop language, communication skills, and a sense of security in both of their linguistic worlds.

Barbara Bauman‑Bielawska
Certified Krakow Method® Therapist
Speech Therapist, Hearing and Speech Therapist
Special Education Teacher