Today it is essential to learn languages, no matter how old you are. For this reason, one of the topics of discussion of a couple before the arrival of a baby is this. As is well known, children learn very quicklyThe younger the age, the easier it is to learn. Hence, parents want their children to learn languages as soon as possible. That learning often begins as soon as the baby enters the world, especially if the parents' native languages are different, or they live in a foreign country.
There has been much discussion about whether raising a child bilingually is beneficial or detrimental to him or her. It was thought that teaching two languages at the same time could confuse the baby or cause learning delays. These negative ideas have been shown to be incorrect as the subject has been studied in various investigations..
Benefits of Teaching Two Languages to a Baby
Undoubtedly, one of the great benefits for children is that, if they are children of parents of different nationalities, they will have the opportunity to communicate with all members of the family without the need for a translator. Let's see more benefits for children:
- It will make them aware of the breadth of the world and its great variety of languages and cultures. it will open your mind.
- It has been shown that bilingual people they have an easier time learning other languages, a very beneficial quality for your future, both personally and at work.
- Your cultural education will be broader, by understanding works in their original languages.
- Neuroplasticity, that is, there will be a more flexible brain to adapt to changes due to new knowledge. Neural networks will be more active in interacting with each other.
- It has been shown that bilingual people have a later onset of Alzheimer's disease, compared to monolinguals.
How to give a bilingual education to your baby?
When it comes to teaching a baby two languages, there is no one-size-fits-all method. It's about finding what works best for your personal situation. There are three methods of raising bilingual children that seem to be the most popular, so we will focus on them and how they can support development for your son or daughter.
- One person, one language. This method consists of each parent speaking to the child in a different language. For example, if the mother is Spanish, she would speak to her in Spanish and the Irish father would speak to her in English. This method is valid even if you live in a country that has another language, in France, for example. In the latter case, the boy or girl would naturally learn three languages at the same time.
- Minority language at home. This means that when living in a foreign country, the family nucleus would speak their native language at home, leaving the learning of the majority language outside the home. For example, if a Spanish couple lives in Germany, they would speak Spanish with their son or daughter at home, while only German would be used outside the home.
- Time and place. This method is normally used in bilingual schools, where, for example, one language is spoken in the morning and another in the afternoon. Another applicable way at home would be to speak Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday in the minority language; and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the majority language.
Combining methods to teach two languages to a baby
Each of the methods described can be combined depending on what is most appropriate for the situation. Too are suitable methods for the baby to learn more than two languages. As they say colloquially, "children are like sponges" since they absorb knowledge with an ease that many adults envy.
However, regardless of the method chosen, the baby will need as much information and constant support as possible in each language. As you grow older, your needs will be different, and you will have to adapt so that you do not lose interest in your learning. What is certain is that this learning native to two languages (or more), it will only bring you benefits.