Around 60%-75% of the world’s population speak two or more languages. Learning a foreign language has been proven to have many advantages for both adults and children. However, there is no reason why children have to wait until they’re adults to be fluent. As a matter of fact, now is probably the best time for your child to learn a foreign language. If you need more convincing, here are the reasons why children should learn a foreign language:
Learning a Second Language Helps Children With Their First Language
According to Kathleen Marcos, “Numerous other studies have also shown a positive relationship between foreign language study and English language arts achievement.” It’s said that learning another language makes children more aware of their own language, such as conjugation, pronunciation and even sentence structure. That awareness can help them communicate better in the language both orally and written.
Learning a Second Language is Great for Kids’ Brains
Learning a second language actually makes your children smarter. According to an article in the Telegraph, not only do the brains of monolingual and bilingual people differ, but it also helps with cognitive processes. A study concluded that bilingual people had denser brain matter than those who were monolingual which alludes to bilingual people having a boost in brainpower.
Bilingual Children Make Great Problem Solvers
In addition to that, bilingual children are better able to explore several avenues in solving a problem. It makes them great problem solvers. In addition to problem-solving, being bilingual improves creativity and reasoning. There are also studies that suggest memory improves as well.
They’ll do better in school
Children who are bilingual do better on standardized tests and standardized college admissions exams, particularly in math, reading, and vocabulary. That’s because being bilingual improves the functionality of your brain.
According to the Telegraph article, being bilingual improves the functionality of your brain by: “challenging it to recognize, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different language systems”.
It helps in old age
Being bilingual has been shown to delay Alzheimer’s and dementia. Telegraph noted that “For monolingual adults, the mean age for the first signs of dementia is 71.4. For adults who speak two or more languages, the mean age for those first signs is 75.5”. Other factors such as income level and gender were also considered.
It makes them more empathetic
A study conducted by the University of Chicago concluded that children who spoke more than one language found it easier to understand different perspectives. In a sense, to fully grasp and understand another language, one has to understand other people and their culture. You have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand why certain words or phrases exist. They also have a unique ability to connect people from other cultures
It makes children more perceptive
This is a very important reason why children should learn a second language. Children will be more aware of their surroundings as well as able to pick up on misleading information. That’s great if you want to raise street-smart children.
It creates better decision-makers
Studies have shown that bilingual people apparently make better decisions. It’s said that bilinguals are able to think about their decision in both languages to see if their initial conclusion made sense.
It helps them to satisfy their language requirement in college
Languages are much easier to learn if you’re already bilingual. Many colleges tend to require that their students take a foreign language class for credits so that they can graduate. Your child can do it the easy way by choosing the language they’re already fluent in or just take a brand new language and still do great because they have already jumped the hurdle of one language.
It opens them up to more opportunities
Becoming fluent in two languages opens up a world of opportunities for people. For example, it opens them up to better career opportunities. Being bilingual can help them stand out to recruiters depending on the job. According to an article published by Penn State “Companies and businesses have a natural desire to expand their existing networks. Having fluency in another language gives an edge on any resume by showing employers potential to converse with an entirely different group of people.” Learning another language will also allow your child amazing and unique networking. According to the same article from Penn State: “Learning a second language allows cross-cultural communication, and opens the door to an entire network of people that a person might not have had contact with before.”
If you want your child to reap all the benefits of being bilingual then consider letting us teach them Spanish, private lessons or small groups online. Check out a class for just $12 bucks! Our methods are tried and proven so you can be confident in your child learning effectively learning Spanish. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
