Beyond Mothers' Talk: Language Acquisition in Kindergarten Children under Father's Care

This study investigates early language acquisition in kindergarten children who are primarily cared for by their fathers in multilingual Indonesian households. While previous research on early childhood language development has largely emphasized maternal contributions, the role of fathers as primary caregivers remains underexplored, particularly in non-Western and multilingual contexts. This study aims to examine fathers’ everyday language practices and their influence on children’s vocabulary development, sentence construction, and pragmatic language use. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, the study involved 26 fathers who served as the primary caregivers of children aged 4–6 years. Data were collected through a structured mixed-method questionnaire comprising close-ended questions to identify general patterns of language use and open-ended questions to obtain detailed descriptions of father–child interactional practices. The data were analyzed thematically to identify recurring language strategies and interaction patterns, supported by descriptive quantitative summaries. The findings indicate that fathers consistently spent more than four hours per day interacting with their children through activities such as play, storytelling, homework assistance, shared household routines, and visits to public spaces. Bahasa Indonesia was the dominant language used in interaction, although frequent mixing with local languages and English was also reported, reflecting the multilingual environments in which the children were raised. Fathers employed various language-support strategies, including repetition, object naming, narrative-based interaction, and contextual language exposure. Most children demonstrated age-appropriate sentence production and communicative competence; however, a small number exhibited delayed speech onset or frequent language mixing. Fathers perceived their caregiving roles as contributing positively to children’s vocabulary growth, communicative confidence, and pragmatic awareness. Nevertheless, challenges related to digital media exposure, peer influence, and children’s reluctance to communicate in unfamiliar settings were also identified. Overall, the study highlights fathers as active and meaningful contributors to early language acquisition and underscores the importance of recognizing father-led caregiving in discussions of language development within multilingual family contexts.