Learning a second language can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, giving you the skills to communicate and bond with an entirely new population. Multilinguality is a very valuable skill in this country, and educational programs seem to be available for every age level. From young speakers in diapers to adults taking night classes, nearly everyone can benefit from the ability to speak a second (or even third) language.
One topic that is often discussed in this field is the age at which you should start enrolling your child in an immersion school. Parents looking for quality language immersion programs in the Houston area for their children can reach out to Crossing Borders Preschool for assistance. Our immersion preschool helps students ages 18 months to 6 years learn a new language, often starting a lifelong passion that can play a major role in the life of every child we teach.
Our child development center is here to provide English, French, Spanish, and Mandarin classes to help learners from all backgrounds acquire the skills wanted to succeed through life. If you’re curious about the best age at which you should enroll your learner in bilingual preschool, read more below before contacting our center for more information!
ACQUIRING, NOT LEARNING LANGUAGES
Many professionals in the field posit that young children do not learn a first or second language, they simply acquire it through interaction. The mind of a child is much more flexible and able to learn according to a number of studies completed over the past decade. While the adult brain is focused on rules, consistency, and a variety of other technical factors, young learners will be able to absorb the essence and sound of speaking a new dialect. From the moment they are born, children are learning about their world with their five senses. This active period of rapid brain growth and neuron pruning (for better efficiency) has led many experts to cite the value of starting life skills early.
Research from Harvard University concluded that half of our ability to learn is developed by the time we turn four, and another 30 percent by age eight. While previous practices thought of children as inferior beings, more and more studies have shown that kids are active learners that often absorb more than we realize!
EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES
The early years of learning for your little one will be critical for laying a foundation of success throughout the rest of his or her life. Our immersion preschool focuses on harboring fun and engaging practices to activate the brain and keep it engaged for long-term success. We have seen the results firsthand of children who begin to speak a second language and fall in love with it. Crossing Borders Preschool strives to inspire a passion for learning, equipping your child for a lifetime of enjoyment.
Further data suggests that children can learn a new language in their later adolescent years, and many learn faster when compared to their younger peers. However, children who start younger are far more likely to master a second language.
WHY START EARLIER?
Beyond the advantages of starting early for the brain, enrolling your little one in language education can also help to make him or her more confident with the dialect. Bilingual speakers who start earlier (ages three or four) tend to sound much more natural later on, building on years of experience to build a solid platform for future academics. Much of this is said to be attributed to language development, as older citizens are more set in their ways. Children who learn languages early on will be better able to create new sounds and pronunciations, surpassing adults who have relied on the same speaking pattern for decades.
Learning a new language can also increase creativity and problem-solving skills, as students learn through bilinguality that there are often many approaches to any one problem. Our language immersion preschool strives to provide the perfect experience for your little one, relying on the best practices, materials, and long-time teachers who actively speak the language. Your child will be able to learn all about new cultures and customs while developing a language skill that can provide a lifetime of advantages.
CODE-SWITCHING CONCERNS
One of the most concerns we field at our early childhood education center involves code-switching. In linguistics, this term describes the process of switching languages throughout the course of a conversation. Parents interested in enrolling their little one in our immersion preschool often fear that an entirely new language is too much for a little mind to handle. In some cases, the child may become confused about what linguistics belong to which dialect. The syntax, morphology, and other technical elements of your conversation can be impacted by this process, causing many parents to worry about the clarity of their child’s education.
While learning a new language with our daycare center, your child will likely code-switch from time to time. This action is often viewed as negative, but the reality couldn’t be more different! Code-switching is actually a sign of understanding, helping learners to better understand the language while seeing how it fits into the context of their native tongue.
Your child has the potential to master a new language (or languages!) and connect themselves with an entirely different way of life. As studies have shown, starting earlier is better for developing fluency. Crossing Borders Preschool is here to provide the best language immersion programs to Houston families, relying on our proven curriculum and quality staff to help excite your child for a lifetime of learning. Contact us today to learn more about our language immersion preschool!
