Do you know that acquiring new language skills makes children smarter?
Give your child all the benefits of a second language.
Research proves that children who are exposed to a second language at an early age achieve much better academic results, not only in languages but also in math, science and music. In general, they also benefit from superior brain power and cognitive skills.
Key Benefits of Learning a Second
Language in the Early Childhood Years:
Enhancement of your child's critical thinking skills.
Children who receive even small amounts of second-language instruction are more creative and better at solving complex problems than those who do not. Young children easily learn to think in two languages. The developement of that ability triggers the essential abstract thinking skills that are the basic tools for further learning.
Enrichment of your child's mental development.
Research suggests that learning a second language at an early age can enrich mental development. Babies and toddlers who have been exposed to a second language may have higher IQ scores.
Boost in brainpower, vocabulary and self- esteem.
Learning another language enhances a child's English capabilities. A young child can easily learn that the words flower and una flor have the same meaning, and that one is in English while the other is in Spanish. Children can learn much about English by learning the structure of other languages. Children who have the ability to switch naturally between languages and are able to converse with different people in those languages feel very good about themselves and their abilities. A sense of real ownership of both Spanish and English can do wonders in raising a child's self-esteem.
Enhancement of academic skills
In fact, children who are enrolled in foreign language programs score statistically higher on standardized tests conducted in English than their single-language counterparts. A number of College Entrance Examination Board reports have demonstrated that children who have learned a second language earn higher SAT scores, particularly on the verbal section of the test.
ArticlesWhy learning languages at an early age?
- Why, How, and When Should My Child Learn a Second Language? by Kathleen Marcos , the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, D.C.
Why learning languages at an early age?
- Brain Research: Implications for Second Language Learning by Fred Genesee, McGill University, December 2000
Why learning languages at an early age?
- Bilingual Acquisition by Fred Genesee, McGill University, Montreal Quebec
Why learning languages at an early age?
- Can Preschool Children Be Taught a Second Language by Jeannette Vos Ed,V
Why learning languages at an early age?
- Two or More Languages in Early Childhood by Annick De Houwer, University of Antwerp and Science Foundation of Flanders, Belgium
Why learning languages at an early age?
- The impact of bilingualism on overall language development Article from Brainy-child.com-B
Why learning languages at an early age?
- Fostering Second Language Development in Young Children This Digest is based on a report published by the National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning, Fostering Second Language Development in Young Children: Principles and Practices (1995), by Barry McLaughlin.
Why learning languages at an early age?
- Bilingual kids not slowed by second tongue by The News in Science.
Why learning languages at an early age?
- Bilingual Children Understand Written Languages Sooner Than Monolingual Children, Study Finds Article: Effects of Bilingualism and Biliteracy on Children's Emerging concepts of Print' by Ellen Bialystok, Ph.D., York University, in Developmental Psychology, Vol. 33, No. 3.
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Ten Common Fallacies About Bilingual Education By James Crawford, Washington, DC
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Myths about Learning a Second Language By Annick De Houwer
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Raising Bilingual Children by Marsha Rosenberg. Reprinted from: The Ambassador, The American School in Japan Alumni & Community Magazine Spring 1996
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Children and Bilingualism By American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Helping Families From Other Cultures Decide on How to Talk To Their Child with Language Delays By Claire Watson, Senior S-LP, The Hanen Centre
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Stuttering and the Bilingual Child By Stuttering Foundation of America
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Stuttering and the Bilingual Child Brochure By Stuttering Foundation of America
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Special Educational Needs by David R. Wilson. United Kingdom
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Learning Disabilities: Teaching and Reaching All Learners, world language teachers' guide to avoid exclusion of students with learning disabilities
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- Should students with learning disabilities be exempt from foreign language requirements?, The ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC)
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- The Foreign Language Teacher's Guide to Learning Disabilities, Department of Foreign Languages, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Bilingualism: Common Concerns and Misconceptions
- What We Can Learn From Foreign Language Teaching In Other Countries By Ingrid Pufahl, Nancy C. Rhodes, and Donna Christian, Center for Applied Linguistics
National Organizations
- Nanduti is a wonderful resource on foreign language learning in grades K-8
National Organizations
National Organizations
National Organizations
National Organizations
National Organizations
National Organizations
Exelent Websites
- Ana Lomba World language materials for Young Children created by Ana Lomba. Ana is the co-author of "Play and Learn Spanish" and "Play and Learn French" (Lomba, Summerville 2005).
- Centro Barahona // Barahona Center at California State University, San Marcos, promotes literacy in English and Spanish.
- Language Lizard ,LLC offers award-winning bilingual children's products in Spanish-English and 40 other languages. Products include books, audio CDs, picture dictionaries, colorful multilingual posters and world maps.
- Anacleta by Kathy Siddons,. A website for Foreign Language teachers to find teaching tips, classroom ideas, Spanish language and culture links. She has compiled excellent resources for parents and teachers on second language acquisition.
