There are about 55 million Latinos in the U.S., but only about half of them speak Spanish. Being bilingual is a beautiful thing, as it lets someone understand their culture, which is often lost in the United States when children become acculturated to the American culture. That’s why it’s so important for children to adopt and learn the language of origin because it not only allows for better cognitive function but a better, enriched life.
Teaching children Spanish should start as early as possible. Parents can begin teaching them basic words or even encouraging them to watch bilingual educational programmings, such as Sesame Street or Dora The Explorer. Reading to children in Spanish and even introducing them to basic words while having dinner helps. Using these engaging methods to introduce young children to bilingualism at an early stage gives them an opportunity to learn quickly.
What Are The Benefits?
There are four important benefits to a child being bilingual:
1. Emotional Benefits
- Communication with an extended family —Children who can communicate fluently across cultural and generational boundaries in their family units tend to stay closer to those families and rely on them more for support. There is also less chance that a child will feel marginalized at family gatherings.
- Expressing yourself in your mother tongue brings a level of intimacy that lets you connect on another level.
- Not all parents learned a second language from their parents. They may want their children to experience learning a second language.
2. Practical Benefits
- Traveling opens up ideas and brings out creativity which is extremely important as a child. Knowing the native language when visiting a foreign country helps a person understand the culture better.
- Job opportunities become more abundant as globalization has a brought a lot of need for bilingual workers. Knowing Spanish in the workforce can help an employee earn a higher salary.
- Learning Spanish can also make it easier when you want to learn how to speak other languages such as, French, Italian, and Portuguese, which are closely related.
- Bilinguals score higher on tests and have the ability to problem solve better, as they tend to have the ability to think more outside the box.
- Teaching children how to read in two languages can increase their interest in reading and even make the transition from home to school easier.
- Being bilingual also helps you focus better and even helps keep Alzheimer’s away.
- Cultural Advantages
- Bilingual children are more likely to be interested in their family’s culture, which exposes them to new experiences.
- They are more likely to demonstrate tolerance for people from different backgrounds.
- Children that are Latino and who don’t know Spanish are often bullied because of this. Teaching them the language and about their culture, helps them be more well-rounded.
There are so many benefits to being bilingual. Being bilingual is not only a privilege, but a necessity, as it lets individuals understand the world from a different perspective, and it allows children to be more submerged into different cultures which lead to a more enriching life.