What are sequential bilinguals?

Sequential bilinguals are people who learn two languages, one after the other, like learning to ride a bike after you've already learned to walk.

Imagine you have a best friend named Mia. When she was little, she first learned to speak English at home with her family. Then, when she started school, she began learning Spanish too. At first, she only spoke English, but over time, she learned Spanish as well. Now, she can talk in both languages! That’s what it means to be a sequential bilingual.

Sequential bilinguals are like kids who learn to count in one language first, and then later learn to count in another. For example, maybe they say “one, two, three” in English at home, but when they go to school, they start saying “uno, dos, tres” in Spanish.

It’s just like learning to tie your shoes, you might learn the basic way first, and then later learn a faster or different way. You still know both ways, that’s what being a sequential bilingual is all about!