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Everything you will ever need to know about
Bilingualism/Multilingualism
Research has shown that bilingualism is beneficial for children’s development and their future. Children exposed to different languages become more aware of different cultures, other people and other points of view. But they also tend to be better than monolinguals at ‘multitasking’ and focusing attention. They often are more precocious readers, and generally find it easier to learn other languages. Multilingualism gives children much more than two languages!
More recent research also suggests that learning another language can have benefits in later life, delaying the onset of dementia symptoms, and slowing cognitive aging. The good news is that these benefits seem to exist even when people learn a second language later in life.
Give Your Child the Gift of More Than One Language
It is stated that the languages which the child is using from birth are the starting point for learning new languages later. That’s why it is important that from the beginning the child can enjoy language acquisition, regardless of whether or not the child is from a mono or multilingual family or which languages the family is using in their daily life.
Nowadays, it has been proven that multilingual children learn to speak earlier than monolingual children and that they have better opportunities to choose a career when leaving university. In addition, children receive a “second, third,… window” on the world, which helps them to develop open curiosity towards different languages and cultures.
“Since I was brought up in a single language family and always found language learning difficult” a mother says, “I feel strongly that we have given our children a great gift by giving them multiple languages from early childhood. They are blessed with multilingual brains!”
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Different and Better Opportunities
A multilingual child is able to communicate with a wider variety of people and will have economic advantages in their future. Research has even shown advantages in improved thinking skills among multilingual individuals.
Children, who learn more than one language in their formative years, will acquire those languages with more ease and “native-like” ability than they would trying to study those languages post adolescence.
Multilingualism helps small children to make sense of the world about them and to discover the excitement of communication. Once children know how to use one language, they can usually learn another one very quickly.
Useful links:
Frecuently asked questions on Biligulism:
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/bilingualism/faq.php.en
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/183513/Bilingual_children_outperform_peers_in_classroom_study
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19109883
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29599177
http://www.multilingualchildren.us/tips-tools/
Bilingualism/Multilingualism
