How will my child learn Dutch if we speak English at home?

This week, I spoke with an American mother from Chicago. She recently moved to Amsterdam with her family, and her 4-year-old daughter — Emma — will be starting at a Dutch primary school in January.

Amazing choice, because full immersion is the fastest and most natural way for children to learn a new language.

Her question was: “Do you often help expat families who move to the Netherlands and send their child to a Dutch primary school without speaking the language yet?”

The answer is: yes. Very often.

We teach nearly 300 children every week, and a portion of them are Dutch expats living abroad.
The other half are international expat families who have moved — or are planning to move — to the Netherlands.

But I completely understand her question — a question many expat families have:

“How will Emma ever reach the same Dutch level as her classmates if we keep speaking English at home?”

Let me reassure you right away:

👉 You should absolutely keep speaking your native language at home.
👉 Children need the emotional stability of their mother tongue.
👉 It would be unnatural (and stressful!) to suddenly switch to Dutch at home while you’re still learning the language yourselves.

But… there are some beautiful ways to support your child’s Dutch development — without changing the way you speak at home.

Here are the 7 tips I shared with Emma’s mom, and that I recommend to all expat families:7 adviezen voor expats die hun kind willen ondersteunen in het leren van Nederlands:

🌟 1. Start learning some Dutch yourself

You don’t need to be perfect — not even close.
But learning a few words and phrases can motivate your child more than you think.

At Dutch for Kids, we offer online 1-on-1 lessons for adults, but your local library may also have Dutch conversation groups.
And how fun is it when you can point to fruit at the supermarket and say:

• “aardbei” (strawberry)
• “banaan” (banana)
• “appel” (apple)

Your child will LOVE seeing that you’re also trying.
And trust me: they will want to be better than you — and they will be. 😉

🎶 2. Listen to Dutch children’s songs

Spotify is full of Dutch kids’ music.
A fun recommendation: Kinderen voor Kinderen — happy, catchy, and great for vocabulary building.

They may not understand all the lyrics at first, but that changes quickly.

📺 3. Watch Dutch videos together

Put on a Dutch children’s show and simply switch the language to Dutch.
You can do this on Netflix, YouTube Kids, or NPO Start. Kikker is awesome for younger children, and Freek Vonk is really fun for children from 8 years old.

Even 10–15 minutes can help your child absorb new words effortlessly.

🤝 4. Arrange playdates with Dutch families

The Dutch are incredibly kind and helpful — which means they often switch to English right away.
But you can absolutely say:

“We’d really love to learn Dutch. Would you mind speaking Dutch with us?”

Dutch parents will never find this strange.
They love helping expats feel at home.

⚽ 5. Choose a Dutch sport or hobby

Swimming lessons, football, dance, crafts club — anything where children (and you, when talking to coaches or teachers) hear and use Dutch more frequently.

Every activity =

• new words
• new conversations
• new social situations

These natural moments are incredibly valuable.

🧡 6. Start with extra Dutch lessons (1-on-1)

This is where Dutch for Kids truly shines.

We help expat children:

• build Dutch vocabulary
• gain confidence
• catch up to their Dutch peers
• join in at school, sports, and playdates
• prepare for future study and work

Every child gets one dedicated teacher, who follows their progress closely and teaches at their pace.

And yes — whether you’re from Chicago, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, or London, or anywhere else— we help children reach native-level Dutch every single year.

🌈 7. Make Dutch a playful part of daily life

You don’t have to speak Dutch all day long.
Small, fun moments are more than enough.

Try things like:

• putting Dutch word labels on everyday objects
• reading one Dutch picture book each night
• playing simple language games (“Find something blue!”, “Where is the ball?”)
• letting your child teach you new words (they LOVE this!)

The key is: keep it light, fun, and pressure-free.

Your child absolutely can reach the same Dutch level as local children — even if you speak English at home.
With immersion at school, a supportive environment, and a few playful routines, children learn faster than most parents ever expect.

Emma from Chicago is going to do amazingly well.
And so will your child.