Children take in new information and find new things out everyday. Ensuring they receive all the information needed throughout their lives must start at a young age. Language learning is a direct reflection of a child’s brain changing. In fact, during the first six years of life, a child’s brain changes the most during language acquisition in comparison to any other cognitive ability that is also being acquired! So, here are 5 reasons why your child should learn a new language.
1. Helps Grow Brain Power
Young children are learning the world at a rapid pace and taking in new information everyday. As we grow older, our brain learns things at a much slower rate. The more information a child receives at a young age, the more impact it will have later in life. Studies have shown that individuals who are bilingual are better at multitasking, problem-solving, critical thinking, listening and many other cognitive abilities.
2. It’s Easier to Learn a New Language as a Kid
The earlier the better! Some studies have shown that even babies as old as a year old, who are exposed to multiple languages, show different cognitive patterns compared to single language learners. This doesn’t mean you need to start teaching them new languages this early, but certain papers have stated that becoming fluent in a new language before puberty is optimal.
3. Helps Future Career Opportunities & Academic Achievement
With more languages under their belt, the more job opportunities may arise. Although only 22% of the population speak French, many jobs see understanding French as a great asset and door opener for many positions and regions of Canada. This can apply for many other languages. Moreover, studies have also shown that top performers in classes tend to be those that are multilingual.
4. Speak to More People/Understand Cultural Differences
The more languages you understand, the more people you’re able to communicate with. This can make many activities more fun to a child, such as travelling to foreign countries, understanding different cultures and how they compare to their native country. Learning a new language opens a door to new information that they would not normally have access to or understand.
5. Learning a New Language is a Fun and Healthy Hobby
Not only will the child have fun learning about language and culture, but it’s a healthy hobby that gets the mind flowing with productive activities and ideas. To them, it might not feel like learning but rather discovering something completely brand new and exhilarating. If schools offer these language classes, they can communicate with other classmates learning the same language.
If you want to start your child on the journey to learning a new language or to hone their skills on a language they already know, Oak Learners has great options to learn new languages. You can check out the day school where students learn all kinds of languages ranging from Spanish, French, Japanese, and much more! If you want more personalized one on one tutoring online or in person sessions, Oak Learners offers private French tutoring here! Good luck with your language learning!
Kelly Farrell is the Founder and Director of Oak Learners. She is dedicated to supporting learners of all ages and abilities reach their goals and love the learning journey. Kelly’s philosophy of education is based in the understanding that every child has the capacity to excel and succeed when they are given the tools and taught the skills to help them on their journey.