Should you enroll your child in a class to study a second language?
Research shows that children who study a language other than their native tongue have a variety of cognitive benefits, such as mental flexibility, nonverbal problem-solving abilities, and enhanced critical thinking skills.
Study Stats for US Students
Other than English, most students in the US take Spanish.
After Spanish, the next most popular foreign classes are (source):
- French at 15%
- German at 4.5%
- Latin at 2.3%
- Japanese at 0.8%,
- Italian at 0.7%
- Chinese at 0.7%.
Three Ways Learning A Second Language Benefits Your Child
1. Improved Cognitive Benefits
According to studies, learning a new language at a young age—particularly between the ages of 5 and 7—helps your child develop cognitive abilities like reading comprehension and problem-solving.
Being bilingual or multilingual helps people and students to increase their analytical and creative thinking abilities. Don’t worry if your child needs support; people’s cognitive flexibility will increase as they age.
Being bilingual or multilingual improves a person’s capacity to adapt to and manage unexpected situations as they grow.
2. Better Educational and Career Opportunities
Your child can have better educational possibilities if they are fluent in multiple tongues.
Being bilingual opens the door to better employment rates and career advancement. Bilingual employees earn about 10% more than their anglophone or monolingual counterparts.
3. Excellent Communication Skills
Enrolling your child in second language class will help them to express themselves and communicate their ideas more effectively than individuals who speak one language.
Additionally, communicating with different cultures helps students become sensitive communicators. They can comprehend and react clearly, which helps them recognize cultural differences and effectively interact with people from other backgrounds.
Strong Learning Skills in Any Language
Whether learning English or another language, having strong learning skills ensure that your child retains and processes more information in and out of class. Contact a GradePower Learning location near you for more information about how our programs can support your child as they learn a second language.
