How Do Bilingual Kids Learn all Over the World
- Written by Brigitte Evans
When it comes to languages, most people are aware that they’re much easier to learn when you’re a kid. While adults can absolutely be successful at picking up anything from Chinese to Arabic, children can do it seemingly without any effort involved. Several factors contribute to this fact, and most parents these days are eager to raise bilingual kids and give them a very useful skill early on. But how can you teach your child a language and what are the real benefits of introducing it to them when they’re so young? Well, take a look at how other countries do it and keep reading to find out.
Why do kids learn so quickly?
There are several reasons. For one, their brains are still developing so it’s much easier for them to pick up a native speaker’s accent. For an adult whose brain is already fully formed, this is a much more difficult task. Children also have a lot more time than adults—very often they attend language classes several times a week, while their parents barely have enough time to juggle work, family obligations, and chores on top of everything. Kids are also less bothered by making mistakes, so they’re rarely stunted by the notion that they might make a fool of themselves if they can’t get something right on the first try. That, at least, is one thing anyone can benefit from when learning a new skill.
China’s early age approach
While China is a huge country with a very diverse population, language learning is an important aspect of their scholarly culture. Certain urban areas actually encourage learning from very early on, so you can easily find a children’s playgroup in Hong Kong that will offer bilingual classes where the little ones are introduced both to English and Mandarin in addition to developing other early skills. English is the most common second language in schools, and younger generations are having an easy time picking it up because they’re exposed to it so early on. Of course, most parents understand the usefulness of knowing more than just your native tongue.
More language schools in Europe
In a lot of European countries, children actually learn two foreign languages in addition to their mother tongue. That’s downright impressive, and even though Europe is a whole continent, and as such, has different education systems depending on the country, kids are widely encouraged to learn from a young age. Of course, being bilingual is different from simply knowing more than one language, but a lot of children are taught English from early on to the point that they develop it as well as their native tongue. Marriages between two parents of different nationalities are also very common, so you’ll often have children learning both languages for practical purposes and as a way to preserve their heritage.
America falls behind
As a complete opposite, America severely lags behind with foreign language learning. Most students stick only to English because they don’t believe anything else is necessary, however, parents are slowly trying to change that. There is still quite a rich bilingual culture with a lot of children speaking Spanish and English, and most kindergartens and preschools are now offering the option of teaching children a foreign language. Immigrant families often have the parents encouraging children to learn everything about their heritage, but also to be diligent in learning English so they’d be able to fit in better. Even families where both of the parents are English-speaking Americans are now jumping on board the train. French, German, Italian, and Chinese are frequent options, and a lot of people are realizing the importance of enriching their knowledge with another language. This is certainly something good to look forward to in the future.
How to teach your own child
If you yourself wish to teach your child another language to the point they become completely bilingual, then start with it early. Find education centers that offer a wide variety of different classes, and encourage your kid to speak the new language at home. If you want to teach them your own first language so they would know their heritage, then surround them by your old books, childhood songs, cartoons, and funny rhymes. Make it all into a game that they can enjoy because kids learn quickly when they’re having fun, and soon enough they’ll grasp all the basic skills.
There are plenty of benefits to raising a bilingual child, but if you’re worried about overwhelming your kid—don’t be. Bilinguals are generally smarter on average, and introducing another language at an early age can actually improve their intelligence. So, invest some time in good education and your child will thrive.