Window of Opportunity
According to researchers, during the first five years of a child’s life there is a “window of opportunity” (also known as a critical period) for second language. Exposing your child to Spanish now will allow your child to optimize his or her language acquisition:
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A child’s brain processes multiple languages in parallel paths, building a second language system alongside the first without having to translate, or go through the native language as a path.
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It can enhance a child’s own native language, develop superior reading and writing skills.
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Do better in school, various reports have shown that students of foreign language score statistically higher on standardized tests conducted in English.
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Enhances cognitive development
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Higher levels of self-confidence
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Knowing a second language will prepare them to learn other languages because they understand how to differentiate between two languages.
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Opens a new cultural world for the child!
A second language will expand on your child’s learning capacity. So, in addition to learning Spanish, you are also giving them the gift of creativity, mental flexibility, divergent thinking and problem solving skills.
“The child’s brain is different from the adult brain in that it is a very dynamic structure that is evolving. A two-year-old child has twice as many synapses (connections) in the brain as an adult. The young brain must use these connections or lose them. Thus, failure to learn a skill during a critical or sensitive period has important significance…the learning experiences of the child determine which connections are developed and which will no longer function”- Center for Applied Linguistics
