We sit at tiny tables in the toddler group—children aged two to three. It’s lunchtime. Spoons clink. Educators serve plates. But this little girl doesn’t eat.She sits there, tense, as if she doesn’t understand what’s happening.“Who is she?” I ask. “Where is her family from? What language does she speak?” Seems like Russian,” the Australian educators say. “Or maybe Polish. We’re not sure.”I crouch beside her and glance at her plate.“Is it tasty? Try it, it’s good.

I name the food on her plate. In Russian. Everything changes in an instant.Her face lights up, her eyes widen, the tension melts away.“Mama!” she says, surprised, articulating each syllable. She reaches out to me.I always tell my students: that knowing a child’s native language is not just convenient. It’s a connection. It’s security.It’s a world that suddenly makes sense.

If you have children who speak Russian , try to learn some key words, like “Privet” (Hello!) ; Da – (yes); Niet (No) ; Nyam Nyam – yum yum.

Here are some bilingual songs and stories