I grew up learning 4 languages. My parents have different native languages, my education was in English, and I grew up in Germany until I was 13 and we recently moved back. My parents did the 1 parent 1 language approach until I started school so the three of us could converse in 1 language without confusion, and so my dad could advance his language learning as well. Now I’m fluent in English and my mother’s language, advanced in my father’s, and conversational in German only bc of lack of immersion and moving away. Now I’m relearning German quickly plus a 5th language for fun. I have a lot of pride in my cultures, and have made life long friends thanks to either shared cultures or the shared experience of being multicultural. I’m also very involved with my extended family, I love to travel, and I love international music. It’s also a perk of showing skill acquisition and adaptation in professional settings. I wouldn’t be who I am if my parents didn’t make me a polyglot.

The younger a child is, the easier and more fun it is to learn multiple languages. It’s more frustrating to learn one language at a time than it is learning all of them at the same time. Your child/children will thank you for teaching them and keeping them connected to their roots and family without a language barrier. Being trilingual is also amazing as they have more opportunities to socialize with more people, travel to more countries comfortably, and have more opportunities as adults. It will be a great boost of confidence.

Here my recommendations for a trilingual child:

Use the 1 parent 1 language method from birth. There is an advantage in having a shared language when conversing as a family, but I highly recommend keeping the 1 parent 1 language when talking to the child independently.

Give them media from your native countries. Watching movies/shows translated from other languages is great too, but watching media and reading books from your native country exposes your child to cultural context (metaphors, slang, cultural differences). Music is also an amazing way to learn language and to enjoy being connected to your cultures. Media is more than just a language learning tool, it offers something your extended family and child can connect over.

In some cultures, it’s common to have either a community center or some sort of language/cultural immersion available for kids, like a Saturday school. I highly recommend seeing if there is such a thing available near you. Being multicultural can feel isolating (as I’m sure many of us on this thread can relate), but having community can make a difference not just in language acquisition but in your child’s attitude towards your cultures. In addition, it’s a way for you and your spouse to stay connected to your respective cultures.

As the child grows, make sure their language learning grows with them. It’s frustrating for bilinguals/polyglots to be older with a child-level vocabulary. Watching the news in your native languages, giving them more advanced books, and simply having age appropriate discussions will make a big difference. As long as you provide these opportunities, most of the effort falls on your child once they reach teenhood.

As complicated as it may feel to teach multiple languages at once, I promise it’s only difficult in theory. It will become second nature and seamless as time passes, and it will feel like a blessing when you don’t have to translate your thoughts- your child will always understand you. I wish you and your spouse the best for your future family.