In our competitive world, a lot of parents want to give their children every possible advantage in life. If you’re one of them, perhaps you should consider teaching your child a second language.
Bilingual kids may have an edge
A recent study published by Child Development reveals that kids who speak more than one language can switch between tasks more easily than monolingual kids — and that’s not the only benefit.
Multi-tasking
Finely-tuned ears
Bilingual kids may also have an advantage when it comes to processing sounds, according to a recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. According to the study abstract, "…through experience-related tuning of attention, the bilingual auditory system becomes highly efficient in automatically processing sound." Researchers found that multi-lingual children are better able to identify a spoken syllable and have enhanced sensory and cognitive functions. Bilingualism may actually help keep the nervous system healthy since switching between several languages is a type of brain exercise.
Read about helping kids exercise their memory muscle >>
Focused
It may seem logical to believe that kids who have multiple language skills may process information more slowly or have difficulty communicating clearly but just the opposite is true. "Studies show that children who are bilingual or multilingual perform better in other academic areas and adjust to new situations more easily later in life," says Caryn Antonini, a mom of two and founder of the Early Lingo Series for children. "These children statistically earn higher scores in SATs , show significant gains in IQ performance, and exhibit advanced mental flexibility and superiority in concept formation compared to their monolingual counterparts."
Find out about brain boosting foods for kids >>
Read about introducing a second language to your child >>
Make it happen
A lot of parents are hesitant to teach their kids a second language, especially if they are monolingual, but it can be done! The best strategy is to start as early as possible. "Within the first six months of life, babies babble using 70 different sounds which make up all the languages of the world," says Antonini. "There are different windows of opportunity in language learning, but truly the best time to learn for a child is before puberty when after that point it becomes much more difficult to learn to speak as a native speaker." There are many teaching opportunities to choose from including formal full-immersion programs, DVDs, online programs and private tutoring. Regardless of which you choose, the gift of a second language will be worth the effort.
Read more about kids and languages
Fun ways to teach your child sign language
Learn a language and culture together
How does Mango Languages work?