When I was 15, my family moved to Spain. My brother, being younger than me was put in to an elementary Spanish curriculum school and I was in a high school because there’s no such thing as middle school there. Well, after day one we decided that we were never going back. We couldn’t understand a word and felt completed isolated and abandoned and alone. I remember my mother begging my dad to let us homeschool and promising to use a homeschool Spanish curriculum but my dad did not relent. After day two, we determined that our father hated us and wanted us to endure the cruel and unusual punishment that was Spanish school. That was in September. Without realizing it, or even wanting it, by Christmas my brother and I were completely fluent in the language. We even thanked my dad for making us stay. He was quite smug to say the least. Knowing a second language has helped both of us immensely, even now that we are back in American and I plan to put my children in preschool Spanish lessons when they come of age. While my brother and I were a little older, learning a second language from an even younger age is even easier and more beneficial to children. Here are a few benefits of a learning a second language even from preschool Spanish lessons.
Brain Growth
Learning a language in preschool Spanish lessons accesses a part of the brain that will later learn music, problem solving and math. Some studies have shown that children that know two or more languages are more apt to be able to solve problems on a day to day basis. Later on they find subjects like mathematics much easier to process and learn.
Broadens Horizons
Learning a language opens a door to a whole new world for children. If you can start them as young as preschool Spanish lessons or whatever language they will be learning, not only will they learn the language but they’ll be able to find out about the entire culture. This includes food, history, music, humor and more. Understanding a different people is important for children. They need to learn that not everyone is the same as them and not only is that okay but it’s a beautiful thing and should be respected and appreciated. It will help them to be much more tolerant and accepting of all different kinds of people in the future.
First Language Assistance
It’s a common myth that if you teach English speaking kids a second language from such a young age, that either either one or both of of the languages will suffer and they won’t be able to become proficient in both. This is entirely untrue. In fact, the opposite has been found. It may take a few years but being able to speak two languages will give your child a better understanding and grasp of both the English grammatical rules and the second language’s. They’ll be able to understand the differences and similarities between them which will help them to become even better in their first language as well as the second.
More Opportunity
If your child cultivates the knowledge of the language and doesn’t forget it when they grow up, they will actually have more opportunities when it comes to employment. When I moved back to America, I did not have an American education which might have made it difficult for me to find good work here. What got me in the door at my first job was the fact that I was bi-lingual. My employer decided to overlook the schooling issue and give me a chance purely based on the fact that I would be dealing with a lot of clients from Puerto Rico and speaking Spanish would come in handy. On top of that, bi-lingual employees make an average of 20 percent more an hour than single language employees.
Learning a new language is fun and kids enjoy learning things. Especially when they can come home and show you. It may seem difficult to you, but for children, who are constantly learning and growing, it won’t be any different then the other subjects they will learn in school.