Learning a second language offers a child a diverse array of benefits. Children who speak more than one language have a better ability to communicate and greater academic potential. They may also enjoy more opportunities in adulthood. Early learners have a unique capacity to develop new language skills and tend to achieve more fluency than older students.
Benefits
Students who study a second language perform better in all academic areas. Language learning in children results in higher standardized test scores, greater problem-solving capacity and lower drop-out rates, the U.S. Department of Education's Center for Applied Linguistics reports. A study of students taking the SAT, a standardized aptitude test, found that those with second-language skills performed better in both the verbal and math sections of the test than those who knew only one language. English-language skills also improve when a child learns a foreign language.
Advantages
Younger children possess a greater capacity for all types of language development. Research published in the journal "Cognitive Psychology" in 1989 concluded that individuals who learn a second language before puberty achieve greater fluency and a greater mastery of grammar. A study by the University of Illinois showed that those attempting to learn a foreign language after puberty, meanwhile, scored significantly lower than their younger peers, highlighting the importance of language learning between infancy and teen years. Some experts suggest teaching foreign languages at preschool age or younger to achieve the greatest advantage.
Future
Bilingual professionals report that knowing a second language gives them a competitive advantage. Their ability to communicate and understand foreign cultures is an asset in job-seeking and achieving career goals. More employers are seeking bilingual applicants as businesses of all types require more international communication, the Department of Education reports. Adults with second-language skills also claim they gained self-discipline and a sense of personal fulfillment by studying a foreign language.
Teaching
Parents should resist the urge to force memorization, flash cards and foreign alphabet jungles upon a child. Experts recommend exposing children to second languages in a stress-free environment where they can learn the language casually. Whether acquiring a second or first language, children typically learn best by observing, listening to conversation and experimenting with new words and phrases, University of Maine researchers report. Rigid environments and pressure to learn create stress in a small child and become obstacles to language development.
Dangers
Experts agree there is some risk involved in teaching a second language at an early age. Children with constant exposure to a second language and the ability to practice speaking outside the classroom may run the risk of forgetting the first language. Language loss occurs most often when exposure to the first and second language are not balanced.
References
- U.S. Department of Education Center for Applied Linguistics: Why, How, and When Should My Child Learn a Second Language?
- "Cognitive Psychology"; Critical period effects in second language learning: the influence of maturational state on the acquisition of English as a second language; J.S. Johnson, E.L. Newport; January 1989
- University of Maine: What We Know About How Children Learn
- University of Illinois: First and Second Language Acquisition in Early Childhood
