Teaching your child a foreign language
In a recent blog post, I wrote about how my journey with foreign languages began. It all started with a bit of fun, when my Mum introduced me and my little brother to our first English words when we were very young.
What followed was a life in which languages play a very important part.
My personal life – including my fascination with travel and the friends from around the world I’ve made over the years.
My professional career – which has been centred around language in one way or another.
And my online community – this blog, the YouTube channel where I share my advice on language learning, and the online language school I run to help people around the world learn languages effectively and independently.
You can read the full story of this journey in my blog post.
I recently became a mum myself. And it’s made me reflect on how important it was for me to have the opportunity to learn foreign languages as a child. It’s something I want to expose my own daughter to as well.
Like many parents who speak another language themselves, I’m keen to introduce my daughter to at least one foreign language straight away. And then – who knows – maybe another one when she gets older!
For the past few months, I’ve been working on a set of picture books that parents can use to introduce their kids to their first words in a foreign language. I’m really excited that they’re now finished and you can check them out here to learn more!
In this post, though, I’d like to share with you my thoughts on why it’s a great idea for parents to teach their children a foreign language. If you’re a parent and you’re not doing it already, then read on!
1. You’ll open up a world of opportunities to your child
Being able to speak another language opens up a world of opportunities. As a language learner yourself, I’m sure you’re already aware of that!
You can travel, meet new people, learn about other cultures and really immerse yourself in them, access foreign language films and books in their original versions, and so much more.
Teaching your child just a little bit of a foreign language creates these opportunities for them. When they’re older, they’ll be able to decide how they want to explore them. I’m very grateful to my parents for encouraging me to learn English as a child. Because of that, at an early age, I was already able to make friendships and create experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Encouraging your child to learn another language will also create potential education and career opportunities later in their life – they might choose to study abroad or work with languages as a career. They might choose not to do either but by teaching your child a foreign language, at least you’ll allow them to have that choice!
2. You’ll support your child’s cognitive development
Learning a foreign language is a great workout for your brain – and not just when you’re an adult. Children need that cognitive stimulation and that’s what learning foreign words and expressions can give them.
Various studies have shown that learning a foreign language can also improve numerical, decision-making and problem-solving skills. So, it’s not just a linguistic activity but something that will help your child excel in a range of subjects at school.
When you speak a foreign language, you also begin to understand your native language better. You learn about grammatical concepts, about what works and what doesn’t, and it gives you the ability to understand language in general a little bit better.
Learning a foreign language encourages creativity as well. It’s often a problem-solving exercise and you need to be creative to be able to express what you really mean. This is something that will encourage your child to develop their creativity, which can also be useful in other areas of their life.
3. Your child will be more likely to get fluent when they’re older
If you get your child interested in learning a language at an early age, they will be more likely to continue as they get older and eventually become fluent. If you wanted them to start when they’re a teenager, they may be less interested because they’ll already have more interests of their own, so to speak!
When you’re little, you’re more likely to see learning as a game as well, so it seems like less of a chore or a task, which is how some adults perceive it sometimes!
4. Your child will be able to learn more languages more easily
Once you know one foreign language – or at least have a basic understanding of it – it becomes relatively easier to learn additional languages. That’s because you already have an understanding of how the learning process works, you’ve familiarised yourself with some grammar concepts, and you may know vocabulary that’s very similar in another language (like French and Spanish, for example).
You can read my blog post about this topic to find out more.
When your child gets older, they may not actually be interested in getting fluent in the language you taught them. But they may be interested in learning another language, and knowing a little bit of the one you taught them will give them a head start.
Or, they may not be interested in learning foreign languages at all! At least by teaching them a little bit of a foreign language early on, you will allow them to have that choice!
5. Your child will develop an appreciation for other cultures
Learning a foreign language always comes with at least a little bit of culture. When introducing your child to their first words in a foreign language, you can give them a chance to explore the countries and cultures that the language is used in. That way, you will help them develop an appreciation for them.
Not only that – your child will also gain skills that will help them function in a multilayered society, such as being a good communicator, being able to appreciate another person’s point of view, being a good listener, having empathy, being curious about other people and their ways of doing things.
6. You’ll create memories with your child and have fun
Learning a language with your child is a great bonding activity. You can spend some quality time together not just while learning but also while doing things that knowing the language will allow you to do, such as listening to songs and singing together, watching films and cartoons, reading books, and even travelling abroad and meeting new friends.
By learning and doing all those things together you will also create memories that you’ll be able to look back on as your child progresses in the language as they get older.