Do you want your kids to start learning Spanish already? Well, let us tell you that’s a great idea! Spanish will bring many benefits for them; yes, even now that they’re still very young.
Though this is an exciting moment for you as a parent, you might be doubtful about if a Spanish immersion preschool is the right option for your child. I mean you keep seeing this modality of preschools, but you might be uncertain about what they really are.
Don’t worry anymore! Here’s a guide on Spanish immersion preschools for you to answer the biggest question that keeps popping up in your head: Is a Spanish immersion preschool right for your child?
Why Spanish Language Immersion Preschools Are Popping Up?
You might’ve noticed there are many Spanish language immersion preschools nowadays, and they just keep increasing in numbers! So it’s normal to wonder, is there a reason for that? What do they have that they’re so popular and that many parents are choosing them?
Well, here are some reasons why Spanish preschools keep popping up and people love them:
Spanish is popular
Spanish is one of the most spoken languages around the world. It’s the official language of 20 different countries! And even in many other countries where Spanish is not considered the first language, it’s still very widely spoken. For example: In the U.S.A there are over 40 million speakers!
You might think this happens only because of the native Spanish speakers that relocate and go live abroad. But that’s not the only reason. Even non-native Hispanic people love learning Spanish as their second language. So that’s also why there are many Spanish speakers around the globe.
This popularity makes it an important language to learn, and people are becoming more and more aware of that.
Parents want to give their kids extra tools as soon as possible
There are many parents that want their kids to start learning new skills. Honestly, that’s always a great thing to do for your children. Some choose to enroll them in sport classes; some others in art lessons, and others in language classes.
All of these are great options and will give your kids skills for the rest of their lives. You can even combine the classes; it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
Parents who enroll their kids in language classes from very early in life do it because they want them to have an advantage. They feel like it’ll be easier to learn the language from a young age. They’re not wrong.
Maybe the parents themselves wish they had learned a language when they were kids. So now they’re trying to give their children that super useful tool. That’s amazing, because the sooner they develop their second language skills, the sooner they’ll be benefiting from them!
Parents realize the many benefits Spanish brings
People are becoming more aware and informed about all the benefits that the Spanish language can bring. There are positive aspects to both our personal and professional lives, as well as to our cognitive abilities.
This is no exception for our kids; they can also benefit from this language. And who doesn’t want that for their babies?
The best of all is that these advantages are long-term. But what exactly are these benefits? Let’s check them out below!
Pros of Spanish Immersion Preschools
Cognitive development
Did you know that being bilingual helps cognitive development? Really! Being bilingual helps improve things like memory, attention span and focus, abilities to switch between tasks and problem-solving skills.
There have even been studies that show that being bilingual can help delay the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Even though it doesn’t mean it takes away these diseases, it does help delay them. This allows people to have a better quality of life for longer.
It’s never too soon to allow your kids to become bilingual. So they start enjoying these cognitive benefits now and keep on doing it even in the future.
Language acquisition instead of just learning
In a Spanish immersion preschool, kids will acquire the language, not just learn it. Isn’t it the same? Well, not really.
Learning the language would mean they will learn grammar, rules, and structure of the language. As well as possibly memorize vocabulary lists. These things are not bad; they’re actually important. And we’re sure that throughout your kids’ Spanish school journey they’ll learn all of these things.
But it can often get boring for students if that’s all they do. Plus, it can get harder to apply the language in real life situations if they were never really involved with the language.
Acquiring a language by immersion is to be constantly surrounded by it. As well as interact in the target language. That is your kids will hear the teachers speak in Spanish most of the time.
They’ll also play, study, and do all the activities in Spanish. This way, they’ll acquire the language more naturally, like they did their mother tongue.
Remember when you were a baby? It didn’t matter that you couldn’t speak or fully understand yet, adults would still talk to you in your first language.
They would play music in that language – even if in the background – and you would hear it. You would also do activities in that language. So naturally, you acquired it.
Language acquisition can make the experience of becoming bilingual more fun. It will also help your children learn more informal aspects of the language, like idioms and slang. This acquisition is what is going to happen in preschools with a Spanish immersion program.
Cultural Learning
Being immersed in a language is more than just speaking and doing everyday activities in it. It’s also about being immersed and learning about the culture of that language.
That’s why many different preschools do activities like celebrating traditions and special days from Hispanic countries.
Those kinds of things will not only make children learn about the different cultures but also develop cultural sensitivity and cultural awareness. These are highly important for today’s globalized world. Your children will be respectful to others.
Of course, there are many different cultures that speak Spanish, so it depends on the preschool you enroll your kids in. Maybe there are some schools that teach Spanish from Mexico, others from Spanish, maybe one that teaches Argentinian Spanish, and so on.
Or maybe there’s a school where they teach Spanish in general, so kids can learn from every culture.
Age
You might think that you’ll wait until your children are more grown up to enroll them in Spanish classes. But did you know that it’s better if they start their Spanish journey as early as possible?
Children’s brains form neural connections very fast. So they can acquire a language more easily. These connections are reinforced as they practice their second language more and more.
Do you want a tip? Babies can actually differentiate all the sounds needed for all languages. As they start growing and acquiring their native language, they start getting rid of the sounds that they don’t need for their mother tongue.
Ultimately making it hard to replicate those sounds later in life when they want to learn a new language.
So try to teach them Spanish early in life, even before going to school. So they will not only pick up the sounds from their first language, but also the ones they’ll need for Spanish. Once they’re in a Spanish preschool, they’ll reinforce their second language and the Spanish sounds.
Now, here’s another reason it’s better for them to learn Spanish early on in life: The younger they are the less afraid they’ll be of making mistakes. As they grow up, they might fear doing that because it means they can get mocked by others.
Even though making mistakes is a totally normal part of the process. Plus, later they’ll have the pressure of exams and not failing.
Love for the language
Like we’ve mentioned before, in a Spanish immersion preschool kids learn the language through different approaches to the language. As well as through interacting with it all the time. This makes for super fun activities that children will love!
This is great news, because if children love the activities they do to learn and acquire a language, they won’t associate it with boredom. Overall, it’ll be a fun and enjoyable experience.
So, there are great chances that your kids will want to keep learning. Plus, they’ll end up loving Spanish! There’s nothing we want more than for our kids to actually love the learning process and the language, right?
Cons of Spanish Immersion Preschools
No after school hours in Spanish
Something good we can do for kids that are learning Spanish is to help them keep practicing throughout the day. This way they’ll reinforce their Spanish skills. But preschool only lasts some hours per day.
So kids only spend a few hours at school. Then they go back to their house, go to their extra-curricular classes, or go play with other friends. And usually everyone there speaks their mother tongue, not Spanish. So what happens to the kids when they don’t have a Spanish environment after preschool?
You could really see this as a disadvantage. Why would I enroll my kids in a Spanish school if I don’t have the skills to help them after school hours or during summer break?
But this has a solution. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, you could play songs in Spanish for them. Or watch a movie or Netflix show in Spanish with them.
Or maybe get a Hispanic nanny, go to Spanish events for kids in your neighborhood, and so on. Basically, find ways and tools to expose your children to the Spanish language that don’t involve you being fluent.
Even if you can’t do any of that, it’s always good to enroll them in a Spanish immersion preschool. Because even if you don’t speak the language at home, they’ll still learn and advance at school.
It’s better to learn a bit rather than learning no Spanish at all. Nonetheless, at an immersion preschool, they’ll learn more than a bit.
Mix vocabulary
Learning two languages at the same time won’t confuse kids, contrary to what many people believe. Nonetheless, every now and then they’ll mix some vocabulary from all the languages they’re learning and growing up with.
So, for example, if your kids are learning English and Spanish, you might hear them say some Spanish words when they’re actually speaking English.
You can see this as a disadvantage if you don’t want them to mix languages.
But let us tell you, it’s a completely normal part of their learning process. Mixing up words doesn’t mean your kids won’t ever learn vocabulary. Nor that they won’t learn the differences between Spanish and English.
They’ll be all right and they will learn both languages without confusion. They’re just learning to switch between languages.
How to Decide if Your Kids Should Go to a Spanish Immersion Preschool
Okay, but now you might still wonder: How do I decide if a Spanish immersion preschool is right for my kids?
There are a few things you can do:
- Put the pros and cons of a Spanish immersion preschool in a balance. Are there more pros or cons? Do the pros really look that beneficial for my children, so much that they outweigh the cons? Are the cons highly damaging for my kids?
- Is there a specific and important reason you want your kids to learn Spanish? Or is there another language they need more? Maybe the whole family is French, and you want them to study university in France one day. Then maybe they should learn that language instead. ´
- Are the Spanish immersion preschools near your area good enough and have qualified teachers? This is something you should definitely research profoundly. Ask the schools if they have trial classes or if you can meet up with them to ask all your questions.
- Another important thing is that you have to be patient with your kids. Of course, this skill applies for all aspects of raising a kid, right? But it’s also very important when it comes to learning a second language. They won’t become fluent overnight.
TruFluency Kids Immerses Your Children in Spanish at Home!
Whether your kids are going to a Spanish immersion preschool or not, you can still benefit from our TruFluency Kids Spanish immersion lessons.
We have native teachers ready to instruct your kids through all kinds of fun activities. During our lessons, students sing, dance, do crafts, read, and even cook in Spanish! So your kids won’t get bored at all.
All our classes are based on the Bellieu Method, created by our founder and CEO, Micah Bellieu. Through it we encourage kids to speak in EVERY SINGLE LESSON! All in a safe space to make mistakes. This is the best way to achieve Spanish fluency.
The best of all is that our classes are completely online, and we have flexible schedules. So your kids can study with us no matter where they are.
We can be the only school to teach your children Spanish. Or we can be their Spanish practice after Spanish preschool hours. Sign up your kids for our next four-week session!
