Being bilingual is a great advantage that your children can have. It presents a world of opportunities to them while also providing them access to parts of the brain that otherwise wouldn’t be put to great use. In all, there are many benefits to being bilingual including:
- Your Children Will Have An Academic Advantage
It has long been proven that children who are bilingual achieve much success academically. This is because their brains are more skilled in social interactions, emotion, and have a high level of cognitive function. Bilingual children have also been known to show high levels of creativity, problem solving skills, and have a strong memory! - Learning More About Culture
The first benefit is learning more about the culture of countries where other languages are spoken. It’s very simple to become accustomed to the culture in the area where you live but children who are exposed to other languages will also likely learn about other cultures. This assists in broadening their views of the world and allowing them to experience a culture they otherwise wouldn’t ordinarily experience. This can also allow your child to build the skills required to connect with more people as they grow older and begin to travel. Language creates a positive connection between people of different cultures and allows them to come together and learn from each other. - Improving Their Vocabulary
Similar to reading, learning another language can greatly improve the vocabulary of children. Learning a new language may seem frustrating at first because they may not know how to fully express their thoughts but over time and frequent exposure to vocabulary. Additionally, there are words and phrases in every language that are unique to speakers and do not directly translate into other languages. Learning these will help build strong community connections between bilingual speakers and native speakers. - It Promotes Brain Health Over Time
Those who are bilingual have shown to have much lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s than those who speak solely one language. This is likely because of the strong memory that bilingual speakers build over time. - It’s Easier For Children To Learn Future Languages
Learning one full language is an accomplishment on it’s own but many studies have shown that mastery of two languages makes all the difference in learning a third or fourth language. This is because their brain is already wired towards the understanding and processing of a new language.