Most of us will be aware of the more obvious and long-term benefits of having a child learn an additional language. It will impress the registrar at a given university, it will open up more job opportunities, it will give the child future flexibility to move around the world, and so forth.
However, what you may not appreciate are the shorter- term benefits, that can help your child right now. And, the good news is that these can be realised regardless of whether your child becomes multilingual at a native level, or only learns just enough to get by while on holiday abroad.
Studies indicate that children who study an additional language develop cognitively. This manifests in a greater ability to think critically and problem solve, as well as helping with other useful classroom and life skills, such as listening, concentrating and doing multiple things at once. Children also show an increased ability to think dynamically and creatively.
So, it is best not to get bogged down worrying about how quickly a child will become proficient, if not fluent, in a language. Instead, get them into learning the language as soon as possible for as long as possible, to reap and maximise the childhood benefits.
Comments