Second Language Program |Crème de la Crème

What Are the Advantages of Second Language Learning in Childhood?

Our society is growing increasingly diverse, so there’s a growing appreciation for the value of second language skills. Speaking another language comes with a wealth of benefits, including the following:

Having an open mind and learning about other cultures and languages.
Gaining the ability to communicate with more people in different places.
Increasing professional, educational, and social opportunities.

Helping kids learn a second language prepares them to succeed in numerous aspects as they learn and develop into successful adults. But what are the advantages of having your child learn a second language at a young age?

Kids of every age stand to benefit from learning another language, but research has shown that starting second language education at the preschool level is particularly beneficial. Preschool-age children have several advantages when learning a second language, including the following:

They’re better at mimicking new sounds and picking up pronunciation skills than older language learners.
They’re less self-conscious than older learners.
They’re willing to use their new language skills without fear of embarrassment.
They learn quickly through play-based activities.

While it’s never too late to learn another language, children certainly have an advantage when they start their bilingual education early on.

What Skills Will Your Child Gain by Learning a Second Language?

Beyond the ability to speak another language, second language learning leads to many additional benefits. Giving your child the opportunity to learn a second language allows them to hone many other essential skills they’ll draw on throughout their lives. For example, research shows that children who start learning a second language at a young age also demonstrate the following:

Increased cognitive skills, such as problem-solving.
Enhanced creativity.
Improved communicative ability.
Increased cultural awareness and curiosity about cultures and ideas other than their own.

Having a foundation in multiple languages is a huge advantage as our world becomes increasingly globalized. Cultures and languages intersect every day, and navigating this reality with more than one language prepares your child to thrive in their next educational steps and beyond. Furthermore, society overall benefits as kids grow up to be caring global citizens who appreciate people from other places and have the communication skills to back it up.

How Can Crème de la Crème Help Give Your Child Second Language Skills?

It’s never too early for your child to learn a second language. That’s where Crème de la Crème comes in. Our private preschool program includes secondary language learning as part of the curriculum. Most Crème de la Crème learning centers offer Mandarin and Spanish learning opportunities. We’ll introduce your child to different languages through interactive activities, and they’ll learn about different cultures, customs, and music along the way. Our secondary language curriculum makes learning fun, laying the foundation for second language acquisition and many other associated benefits as your child learns and grows.

How Can You Support Your Child in Developing Second Language Skills?

Learning a second language doesn’t have to stop when your child returns home from a day at your local Crème de la Crème learning center. You can establish a school-to-home connection to reinforce language learning even more. Of course, if you have little or no experience speaking that language, you might feel intimidated about bringing elements of a second language into your day-to-day routine. Fortunately, there are some easy tasks you can use to introduce another language into your home and enhance your child’s learning:

Look at a Map

Grabbing a world map will make learning another language more tangible for your child. Point out where you live, then help your child find the country they’re studying. Talk about how far away the country is and how you would get there.

Read a Book

Your local library or bookstore will likely have children’s books in the language your child is learning. Go for books with pronunciation keys or audio files that let you listen to the story, or look for bilingual books for kids. You might even find your child’s favorite story in another language.

Bring the Culture to Life

Take learning out of the classroom by finding opportunities for your child to interact with people who speak the language they’re learning. Your community is an excellent resource for making language learning real. Playdates with kids from different cultures and countries offer meaningful experiences that can increase your child’s appreciation of the similarities and differences between cultures. If you don’t have the opportunity to interact with local families, you can also go to a restaurant where the staff uses the target language and talk about the music and cuisine there.

Learn Key Phrases

You can make the fun of communicating in a new way into an activity for the whole family to share. Ask your child’s teacher about the vocabulary they’re introducing in the classroom and learn those words and phrases too. You don’t need to be fluent because your child will feel that you’re all going on a journey together by using basic vocabulary while you talk about colors and use conversational phrases.

Second Language Program