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by Meritxell
Franco at Buenos Dias
A very common
question amongst parents is "What is the ideal
age for my child to start learning a second language?
The answer is easy...the earlier the better!!
Several articles in science and research magazines have
described the amazing brain power that children are
naturally born with. You have probably seen television
programmes describing how brain cells work. They show
the way children experience life (by seeing, listening,
touching, smelling... sensorial) can make 100 billion
brain cells hook up with each other!! (not bad for such
little ones...)
The more sensory input (such as the unique sounds of
a language), the more brain cells connect to each other
and the faster the brain is capable of learning.
There is scientific evidence that children who are exposed
to a second language from an early age not only achieve
much better results in languages, but also in maths,
science and music, and in general helps build brain
power and cognitive skills.
Any toddler can easily learn that "cow" and
"vaca" have the same meaning, and that one
is English and the other Spanish. But that understanding
will trigger the essential abstract thinking skills
that are the basic tools for further learning.
The American Academy of Pediatrics stated that "there
is abundant evidence that the best time to learn new
languages is relatively early in life."
Mr Harry Chugani of Wayne State University's Children's
Hospital of Michigan quotes "the optimum window
of opportunity for learning languages lasts until about
the age of ten or twelve, yet most US districts wait
until secondary school, after the windows are closed."
In the UK - and in many other countries - the teaching
of a second language has also been delayed until secondary
school. This is now proven to be detrimental as learning
a language becomes increasingly difficult.
A young child is able to hear the "pure sounds"
of a language, but just before becoming a teen, that
ability will be gone. He or she might still be able
to learn a second language but will definitely have
an English accent (that's if he/she is English, of course...!!)
Here are some quotes from different field experts, to
illustrate the facts:
"Research suggests that learning a second language
at an early age can enrich mental development."
(Business Week, Edward Baig, Bringing Up Baby - Bilingually.)
"... children who receive even small amounts of
second-language instruction are more creative and are
better at solving complex problems."(SmartKid online)
"The learning of languages other than one's own
provides a unique conduit to higher-order thinking skills."(Annals
of the American Academy of Political & Social Science,
C.Brown.)
"A study of 13,200 primary school children was
revealing. Regardless of race, gender or academic level,
children taking a foreign language did better in the
English section of the Basic Skills Test. Maths scores
of children studying a second language improve, too."
(Child, Lynne S.Dumas, Learning a second language.)
It is very satisfying to see little children naming
animals and daily objects, or counting and singing in
Spanish, knowing that this will help them in their studies
for the rest of their lives.
The benefits of learning a second language are countless;
just make sure that your child has fun whilst learning!
Cosmopolitan - or what? Bilingual
Family Network News
Just as we thought - there are many families trying
to bring up children bilingually in the Sussex area.
An article in ABC's summer issue called on parents with
bilingual children to register with ABC Magazine and
to try to network with other families in the area.
In particular, our family were looking for Spanish and
Latino families and I am pleased to say that the 'Club
Español' is now up and running with five families
in the area in contact. The network has also put several
German and French families in touch with each other
, so hopefully this will grow over time.
Sadly, there are languages where no other 'natives'
have so far been found, namely Portuguese, Urdu, Dutch
and Arabic.
So, in the 'mother of all' (well several) languages:
Carpe diem - Seize the day!
To register with the
ABC Bilingual Family Network
please telephone
Robert or Katherine
on 01273 330621
or email robert_katherine@ntlworld.com
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