Hola, Bebe!

Did you know that in other modernized nations like ours, the norm is raising children bilingual? Children around the world are growing up fluent in two, three or more languages while most American children are raised learning English only. Thankfully, parents and educators throughout the United States have begun to realize the endless benefits of bilingualism, and the trend is growing to expose young children to a second language.

Often when people hear of “learning a language,” they think of the linguistic process. In actuality, learning another language does far more for the brain than just acquiring new linguistic skills. Second language acquisition provides different ways of interpreting the world, enhances creativity and improves cognitive abilities and critical thinking skills. This effect on the brain is proven in test scores across the board. Students who know more than one language tend to score higher in both verbal and math sections on standardized tests.

When should we begin exposing our children to a second language? Three years old is the best age for a child in a single-language household to begin learning another. The 3-year-old child’s brain has an endless capacity for absorbing knowledge, yet her language skills are not fully developed. Introducing the second language at this age makes sense so she can enhance her skills in both languages simultaneously. (In fact, research has shown that second language acquisition actually improves English skills in children, as they must differentiate between the two languages.)

Following a few guidelines will help promote success in teaching your child a second language. First of all, children must have continued and prolonged exposure to the language if it’s truly going to imprint on their brains. Also, introduce the language to your child via several different mediums. Your youngster will benefit greatly if he hears, sings and sees the new language in books and video.

Playing with a native speaker is also incredibly helpful for your child. Children are very astute at communicating with others in play and will gain a great deal of knowledge through this experience. Finally, children should have an appreciation for the culture around a language. Teach your child some history surrounding the language. Talk about food, fashion and sports from the culture where the language is spoken. Expose your child to some colloquialisms or slang terms to help true fluency and comprehension.

If you would like assistance, endless resources are available to parents and teachers to aid in teaching a second language. The easiest place to start is your public library. Here are a few recommendations:

• The Little Pim series teaches languages such as Chinese, Spanish, Italian, French and Arabic to toddlers and preschoolers.
• 52 Weeks of Family French: Bite-Sized Weekly Lessons Designed to Get You and Your Family Speaking French Today by Eileen McAree (also available in 52 Weeks of Family Italian, German and Spanish)
• 7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child by Naomi Steiner, MD, and Steven Parker, MD

If you are willing and able to invest in this process financially, consider an after school program or summer camp built around the teaching of a second language. Another option is to purchase Rosetta Stone, which is the most renowned at-home language teaching program available.

And finally, an effective way to teach your kids a second language—by far the most expensive but definitely the most memorable approach—is to visit a foreign nation. True language immersion is the fastest way to become fluent in another language, and the only way to fully immerse oneself is to travel to another nation and live amongst its people.

Karen Johnson is a former high school English teacher turned stay-at-home mom. She lives in Olathe with her three children, ages 5, 3 and 1. Follow her adventures at 2stCenturySAHM.blogspot.com.