Second language learning comes with significant benefits for people of all ages. It effectively stimulates the brain, promoting creativity and reducing the speed of cognitive decline. It is a challenging yet highly rewarding experience. Many of the benefits of learning a second language are particularly impactful on young learners.
Benefits for the Brain
Studying a second language trains the brain to take on new challenges and understand the complexities of a new language. It also increases the amount of gray matter in the brain, which is responsible for information processing and directing sensory stimuli to nerve cells.
Young students, whether they are in a dual immersion program at school or discovering new ways to learn Chinese, develop longer attention spans, increase their social skills, and improve their memory. Learning a second language also improves the learner’s use of their native language and boosts rational decision-making instead of reactivity.
Boosts Language Proficiency
It’s a common assumption that children’s brains are often more receptive to learning new languages than adults’ brains. This belief is true in some aspects: Children don’t have to unlearn engrained thought patterns and don’t have to retrain an already-developed brain. Additionally, they can often develop native-sounding accents that elude most adult learners. They are more receptive to nuanced sounds and intonation patterns. It’s important to note that learners of all ages can become proficient or fluent in second, third, and fourth languages, etc.
Once a student learns a second language, all subsequent language learning becomes easier. The younger one studies a second language, the more time they’ll have to follow their interest in other languages and the fewer challenges they’ll encounter along the way.
Natural Advantages
The earlier you learn a second language, the less time you have to develop negative biases toward it and its speakers. Unconscious or otherwise, everyone forms biases. These can be positive or negative. Whether people know it or not, they inevitably form opinions toward languages and cultures. The younger they are, the more flexible their brains are. They are less likely to have established biases and to let them impact their learning.
When children learn a second language, they recognize and understand other perspectives. They become more empathetic and interested in experiences and cultures dissimilar to their own.
Children also tend to be more naturally confident than adults and willing to take risks. This can support them in language-learning environments. The fear of making mistakes can often inhibit older learners from engaging in activities. However, making mistakes is inevitable while learning a new language.
Children generally can bounce back from errors (even if they’re nervous around their peers). In a healthy and supportive language-learning environment, teachers, tutors, and guardians can encourage a young student’s natural curiosity and tendency to try. They can receive necessary corrective feedback that boosts their confidence and language proficiency.
Benefits Outside of the Classroom
Becoming fluent in multiple languages has distinct, practical benefits. For one, it opens up a wealth of opportunities when it comes to careers. Employers in every field love to see language skills on resumes. Young learners can access these opportunities as they arise. Some may even discover they have a passion for specific industries they may never have realized without learning a second language.
Knowing multiple languages also expands social spheres. Students can connect with one another and the world around them through language. For example, a native English speaker may foster communication with deaf peers, colleagues, family members, and friends by learning ASL or other forms of sign language.
When traveling to an area whose dominant language is not your native tongue, understanding common phrases and the basics of vocabulary and grammar is undeniably advantageous (not to mention language fluency). Finding your way, making new friends, and engaging in exciting experiences will be easier and less intimidating when you have a grasp of the language.
Conclusion
There are many benefits of learning a second language at an early age. Some of these relate to the brain. You can increase your attention span and promote your creativity. Others are interpersonal. You might make connections based on compatible communication. Finally, you can open the door to career and travel opportunities when you become bilingual or multilingual. Language learning is in no way only available to children. However, the earlier you start, the sooner you can enjoy these benefits.