The benefits of learning languages from a young age

A child's brain has plasticity and it will be easier for him to learn a second language or even a third one. If you want your children to learn a foreign language, you are right because there are only benefits for them, although there are also some considerations that are worth taking into account.

Learning a foreign language involves an amount of effort for any person, be it a child or an adult, but when you are younger it is much easier. When considering the possibility of teaching your child a foreign language, it is a good idea to think about the benefits for them, since you will be opening doors for them in their future. In this sense, you maywant to think about which languages would be most appropriate for your children, such as English, Spanish, although there are other languages that are gaining popularity as in Chinese-Mandarin, French or Portuguese.

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Benefits of learning foreign languages in children

• Better linguistics, Exposing a child to a foreign language at an early age like 3 or 4 years will help him her to have a better fluency in the language than if they learn it later. Children are like sponges in terms of learning new languages. The brains of children are developed to accept and learn any language and if they learn it early their linguistics will be great.

When children reach 8 they begin to lose the ability to hear and reproduce new sounds as they did when they were younger, although they can learn the language well, they will find it somewhat more complicated than if they start earlier.

• Cognitive benefits, there is research that shows that language learning is more cognitive than linguistic, these are some of the cognitive benefits to learn a foreign language:

• Better problem solving skills.

• Better critical thinking skills.

• More creativity.

• Better flexibility in the mind.

• Better memory capacity.

• Better multitasking skills.

• Better academic performance, following the previous point and thanks to the cognitive benefits, learning a foreign language can also provide academic benefits. It has been shown that bilingual children have better skills in critical thinking, better problem solving skills and greater mental flexibility, all this will help them to have a better academic performance.

• Higher cultural level, All parents want their children to be good people, to know what they are talking about and to have an adequate level of culture. This is achieved by having love for learning and also by being tolerant and appreciating other cultures. Thus, they will grow up to be successful members and contributors to a society.

Learning a foreign language opens the doors that would not open otherwise, and also opens the mind and makes people more tolerant. Bilingual or trilingual people have access to more resources, more people, more places, than people who do not know languages. Knowing foreign languages can provide competitive advantages at work and also deepens a better understanding of humanity, of culture and enriches one's life.

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Advantages of learning a language in childhood

• Better pronunciation: Children have a better ability to assimilate, remember and reproduce new sounds, unlike older students. This ability, the result of the need of every individual to learn to communicate even in their own language is undoubtedly an advantage to get a correct pronunciation. It is very difficult to acquire new sounds instantaneously, since this inherent natural ability of children to replicate what they hear is lost.

• Ease of learning: Young children learn a language through games, activities and songs. This teaching model does not resemble conventional lessons and allows the knowledge acquired to be retained more easily. The children are curious and interested because it is a dynamic and stimulating form of teaching. In this way, they have an immense capacity to learn new things and by not having to remember as many things as older students, their mind does not intermingle knowledge.

• Less shyness: The concepts of evaluation and comparison with other students are not present, or at least not as developed as it is in the case of older students. The little ones have better abilities to launch themselves, dare and try to express themselves without fear. Languages ​​are learned above all through oral expression, which allows progress at a faster rate.

• Open mind: Learning a language at an early age encourages young people to awaken curiosity and interest in new cultures and allows them to forge a more open and critical mindset. Multilingual children are usually more inquisitive than those who speak only one language, and their ability to speak one or more additional languages ​​allows them to explore different means to communicate easily with other people.

• An advantage for the future: A multilingual child is able to integrate and fit more easily into today's multicultural society. This is due to the language and interaction with students and teachers from different cultures and different parts of the world. All this contributes to an openness towards the international and towards the unknown.

If you are concerned about the possible impact on the mother tongue, recent studies have shown that learning a second language during childhood does not have a negative impact on the mother tongue. On the contrary, in the long term, the two languages ​​will improve, especially the acquisition of additional vocabulary. You do not need to be 100% bilingual to enjoy the benefits mentioned above, the simple learning process is sufficient.

How to teach another language to children?

It is not the same to confront a paper full of strange words, than to use words through a game, a story or a song. The experience is not the same as listening to an individual speak in an unknown language without understanding anything, to hear your favorite cartoon characters in another language, It is not the same.

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Many children, for example, do not like English classes. They complain about not understanding anything. And they prefer to continue watching the cartoons in their native language. However, when they are passionate about a topic such as Formula 1 races and pay special attention to television, so what they are listening to is in another language such as English, for example the broadcast of a career. This can be a good strategy, investigate what topics interest our children so they have fun learning another language.

There are no impossible subjects to learn, but inappropriate techniques. The solution is to find something that allows the child to have fun while learning. Similarly, your child may like to tell stories, use songs or lean towards the theater with puppets. Try to improvise dialogues, Maybe you prefer to play with the dolls. Have the dolls set up conversations in English or their favorite television program in the language you want them to know. Try talking to him sometimes in another language. Sing and create choreographies with him. Make the improvisation of games whose themes have to do with the language you want to learn. Post posters around the house with prayers in English, or French, Italian. the language you want to teach your child.

Be assured that you will find the right strategy to get your child's attention and awaken interest in languages. Do not forget that currently it is not enough to know how to speak only one language. Mastering another language opens the doors for you. You will be promoting the construction of a better future and to lose the fear of going on a trip and facing other cultures.

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