For most, there is an understanding that speaking more than one language has many benefits. Aside from being able to connect with more people, and advance in your career, your mentally building up more skills. People who speak more than one language have improved memory, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, and have better listening skills. And that’s just a short list. These are all great things to encourage your child to have. So, at what age do you introduce a new language to your child? How soon can they start learning?
Introduce a Second Language to Your Child
As new research has shown, our capacity to learn a language diminishes slowly over our lifespan. Hence, it’s a better idea to teach your children to learn another language when they’re young. Each infant is born with the ability to mimic the sounds of any language. On Parents.com, it was stated that at 10 months, your baby will begin to narrow down the sounds it hears around them. This is when you can start introducing a new language. Being fully “immersed” in a language is said to be a helpful component when looking at fluency.
Studies by Harvard University show us that 50% of our ability to learn is developed by the age of four. Another 30% by the age of eight. So, while you don’t have to start a lesson plan as soon as they are out of the womb, it’s a better idea for them to learn at a younger age. Notably, waiting to take classes in high school might not have the same effect as learning while in elementary.
International Books
There is a lot of research that is still being done on the subject of learning a second language. For the most part, it’s hard to pinpoint why adults have a harder time learning another language. But, it’s safe to safe that you can never go wrong with teaching your kids at a young age. With our books, you’ll find an assortment of languages to learn. Not only will you be able to read familiar stories, but our DVDs and audio options allow you to learn and hear the language in different ways.