Why spanish for toddlers?
Why is learning a second language good for toddlers?
Right now, more than half of the world’s population is bilingual or multilingual, and our children will grow up to become part of an even more globalized world. Furthermore, even if your child doesn’t become a fluent speaker, many studies have shown the importance of simply learning a second language, and the many benefits it can provide, such as:
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- Having a positive effect on the brain. Researchers have shown that the bilingual brain can have better attention and task-switching capacities than the monolingual brain.
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An educational advantage for your child (it helps in the development of the cognitive and neurological systems)
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Certain health benefits, like acting as a barrier against cognitive decline later in life.
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Opening up new social opportunities for them.
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Helping children to deal with change. Bilingual children as young as seven months can better adjust to environmental changes.
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Teaching children to be more empathetic, and to better understand the world they live in.
Education experts at the Dept. of Education and Training agree that children benefit greatly from exposure to other languages. As well as increasing literacy, learning in a language other than English increases self-esteem and wellbeing, cognitive flexibility, and strengthens cultural awareness.
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To learn more watch this video:
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Why start when they are little?
In the first few years of life more than one million new neural connections are formed every second. Neural connections are formed especially through interaction with adults, or what developmental researchers call contingent reciprocity. Many argue that this is a Critical Period for learning languages, and that a child’s ability to learn a new language diminishes as they get older. It doesn’t mean that older children can’t still learn a foreign language, but it may not be as easy for them. Introducing a language early on will give your child the best chance at mastering a foreign language, and becoming a true bilingual.
Toddlers are usually just starting to speak, so a new language will come quite naturally. As you may have noticed, they love to repeat and copy, which is a wonderful trait to have when you are learning a language.
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Why learning through music and storytelling?
There is a reason why in every culture in the world there is a musical, storytelling tradition. People gathering around to hear stories and songs is the oldest, most efficient way we have passed down knowledge generation after generation. And it remains of the upmost importance in the present day, as many studies have shown that babies need human interaction to learn languages. Hence, 30 or 40 minutes a week immersed in a foreign language environment with real people is likely to be much more beneficial for them than spending hours watching TV or using a language app.
The relationship between music and learning has been researched extensively as well . Music not only makes language learning more enjoyable and memorable for kids, but it also prepares brain circuitry for complex pattern recognition and success at a variety of cognitive tasks.
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After Mandarin Chinese, Spanish is the most spoken language in the world as a mother tongue.
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It is already the second world language as a vehicle of international communication . It has been anticipated that by 2050 it will be spoken by 10% of the world’s population.
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Once children learn Spanish, they will find it easier to understand other Latin-based languages such as Italian, Portuguese or French.
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Spanish resources are easy to find.
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Learning Spanish will allow children to appreciate the Hispanic culture, and travel to many places (at least 20 countries) without communication problems.
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Why Spanish?
