A grandparent who only speaks the heritage language

Ask her for one small, regular thing, and make it easy for her to say yes. The sources read for this site do not say how much a grandparent's time adds to a child's heritage language, and none of them tests calls or voice notes with a grandparent. So most of this article is practical advice built from what the app does, and it says where that is the case. The People page was made for this situation: it writes the message, she answers the way she already does, and nobody installs anything.

What the sources say, and what they do not

King and Mackey, in The Bilingual Edge, ch. 12, write about families where relatives disagree with the approach. Their point is that language choice is emotional and tends to intensify tension that is already there. Their advice is to reaffirm the shared original goals with extended family, and not to let language become the stage for a different disagreement.

That chapter is about relatives who disagree. If your mother already wants to help, it is not about you, so treat it as related to your situation and not as a test of it. The app's summary of the advice includes one example that does carry over: a grandparent unhappy about an accent might prefer to join weekly calls than to criticize. That is the app's wording of their advice.

Nothing we read says how many hours a grandparent needs, whether a call counts like a visit, or whether a grandparent who speaks only the heritage language changes what a child gains. Those questions are open here.

Set her up on the People page

1. Add her under the name you use for her. Choose the role Grandparent and her language ability. Today suggests the first person you logged as fluent, and otherwise the first who speaks some. It never suggests someone you logged as not speaking the language.
2. Add her WhatsApp number only if you want the link. The number stays on your device and is used to build the link, and nothing is sent until you press send in WhatsApp. Leave it blank and copy the message instead.
3. Let the app build the ask. It is a short message around one activity from your child's plan that travels well over a message: a call, a reading or a song. The product document behind the app gives this Spanish example: "Mami, ¿le puedes leer esta página a Mateo?".
4. Choose the language of the message on screen. The app starts on the heritage language when it has wording for it, and the other choices are English, Spanish and Portuguese. If it has no wording for the heritage language, nothing is chosen and the message stays hidden until you pick one. The choice is not saved. If your mother reads none of these, rewrite the message in hers.
5. Send it as an ordinary message. She replies however she already does, usually a voice note or a call. The same ask appears under the activity on Today, so you can send it at the moment you are looking at the plan.

Make her time easy to use

These suggestions are practical advice, not tested ones. They follow how the app's asks are written.

• Ask for one thing at a time. The app's asks are one request each: read a story, sing a song, ask about the day, play for a while, or send a voice note or call.
• Pick a regular slot. The app's plan for a connection goal describes a standing weekly call with the grandparent, without reminders.
• Ask her to do what she already does: tell a story, sing a song she knows, talk about her day. She does not need to prepare anything.
• If your child is young, sit next to the child during the call, so the call is something you do together.
• If she does not reply today, nothing is lost. Ask again another day and keep the message short.

The app's plan text calls a call or voice note with a grandparent a good use of the grandparent's time. No source read for this site tests that, so read it as the app's judgment.

See how much of the week she covers

The audit counts hours per week by caregiver and language, and you can log her under her name as a heritage-language caregiver. ILLUSTRATION: a 4-year-old, with 4 hours a week logged for the grandmother. The app's waking-hours estimate for ages 3 to 5 is 11.5 hours a day, its own working figure with no cited source (UNVERIFIED), so 80.5 hours a week. Four hours is 4 divided by 80.5, or about 5% of waking hours. The number only shows you what the week holds. It does not say what that share does.

What is still unknown

• How much a grandparent's time adds to a child's heritage language. No source read for this site tests it. UNVERIFIED.
• Whether calls and voice notes work like time in the same room. No source read for this site tests it.
• Whether the answer changes with the child's age. The sources read do not say.

In short: add her to People, send one small ask in a language she reads, keep a regular slot, and let her do what she already does. The aim is a habit that is easy for her, with no promise about outcomes.