By Kristina Ambrosia-Conn
Bilingualism not only helps a child have a better understanding of English, it also improves his or her social and emotional skills.
According to research done at the University of Tennessee at Martin, “children in foreign language programs have tended to demonstrate greater cognitive development, creativity and divergent thinking than monolingual children.”
Generally, they also have a better understanding and show proper usage of their native tongue because they have had to distinguish differences in construction from early on.
“More than half of our world is bilingual,” says Lisa Canterbury, director of Camp Globo, an immersion language camp in Hudson for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
“Other countries make it a priority for their children to learn a second or even third language.” Canterbury says. “On top of the benefits of travel, culture and overall connectedness to the world we live in, knowing a second language also improves a child’s social, emotional and cognitive abilities. I believe it also positively impacts their self-esteem as they are able to conquer something that at first seems so unachievable.”
Why Start Young?
Research shows that the younger a child is immersed in a foreign language the easier it is to learn.
Sara Incera, a Ph.D. student with a focus on language development and a teacher at Camp Globo, points out, “[t]he brain is like a muscle, the more you train it, the more efficient it gets. Juggling two languages at the same time is a great workout for the brain.”
An additional benefit to early learning is sounding more like an indigenous speaker.
Gladys Benitez-Reilly, president of Viva Spanish, which offers customized language programs, says the “ease in which a young child can develop native-like pronunciation is amazing.”
Parents Can Help
Unfortunately, limited opportunities seem to be available in the region.
However, some schools or daycare centers such as the Teaching & Learning Center at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland have recently begun making strides by including a foreign language into the curriculum.
Westlake City Schools, as a result of a summit on continuous improvement attended by administrators, parents, community members and teachers, recently instituted Spanish and French into their elementary schools.
Pam Griebel, director of Academic Services, says, it “came up as an area of interest in our community“ and because of that, the schools now offer 30 minutes of instruction twice a week.
“We cover vocabulary, communication and culture,” Griebel says. “Most importantly, we’re building pathways in the brain and opening opportunities [for our students] to learn [even] more languages.”
Maria Elena Pauer, director of the Cleveland Spanish Academy in Lakewood, says,“probably the best way for children to pick up another language is to be around other children speaking that language [because] children have strong intrinsic motivation to communicate with other children.”
You can learn about opportunities that do exist by connecting with people whose native language you want your child to learn.
You can also reach out to local meetup groups via meetup.com.
If all else fails, you can spearhead your own effort to get language lessons incorporated into your child’s day by reaching out to school directors, parent committees, etc.
The following is a list of ideas and resources to get started:
— Read books that incorporate different languages such as “Fire! Fuego! Brave Bomberos” by Susan Middleton Elya. The book, about a fire rescue, has both parents and children learning Spanish words;
— Have your child view cartoons in the desired language or watch TV shows and cartoons that introduce different languages to children;
— Connect with places that teach different languages such area recreation centers, private tutors, Viva Spanish (vivaspanish.com), Camp Globo (campglobo.com) or the Cleveland Spanish Academy (clevelandspanishacademy.com);
— Search for different apps for kids (Feed Me Spanish is an Apple app available for $2.99);
— Look for websites that offer free learning games (i.e. 123teachme.com/learn_spanish/spanish_for_children;
— Set aside specific blocks of time to study with your child.
Lastly, don’t be discouraged. It’s definitely possible to raise bilingual children without parents being bilingual themselves.
“You start small and you start with what you know,” Canterbury says. “I don’t speak Spanish and we are all trying to learn together. So we substitute words as we learn them. We have a list of basic words/phrases that we continue to add to and use regularly. We listen to Spanish CDs and watch shows in Spanish when possible. It brings us together as a family to learn something together.”
