Why should your Child Learn a Second Language?

Children are the future of our global society.  The next generation needs to be even further developed, tolerant, and have the ability to communicate with different cultures.  The great news is that as young children they absorb everything around them. In Canada, French has commonly been the choice for a second language.  That is logical when it is one of the two national languages, but exposing your child to Spanish may be important for other reasons.  Spanish is the third most commonly used language on the Internet after English and Mandarin. It is also the second most studied language and second language in international communication, after English, in the world. 

As parents, we certainly want the best for our children, allowing them to reach their potential. Teaching your child another language, even while he is still developing his first language, has some real benefits.

Help with Development

Exposing your child to another language is a great way to help with their development.  General thought is that if they are too young, they will be confused and it will inhibit their ability to learn their primary language.   In reality, learning another language will improve their linguistic abilities.. Children that are learning or have learned a foreign language when they are real young tend to do better in school and on standardized tests. In fact, the earlier you start, the more likely it is that your child will become proficient in that language, being able to speak and understand it like a it is his or her natural language.

Expose your child to new cultures

Another benefit is the exposure to different cultures.  By being exposed to the language they are also being exposed to the culture.  Along with learning a language, your child will certainly benefit from learning about where that language is spoken and the culture of the people. As your child gets older, he or she will have an appreciation of another culture other than their own.   This will provide him or her a broader understanding of other cultures, more tolerance, and potentially increase their curiosity to learn about more cultures.

Teaching your child a new language at a young age will benefit them both mentally and socially.  Helping them learn about different languages and cultures will make your child more well-rounded, improve learning skills, and will help them with their future.

Tips to Get Your Child Reading

In this day of game consoles, personal computers, and smartphones it is hard to get your child to sit down and read a traditional book.  As parents we all know that reading is still a fundamental skill that must be exercised, practiced, and is an important part of our child’s development.  It is a common challenge for parents to get them to read, so here are some tips to change your child’s mind about reading.

1)      Read with your child – Taking the time to relax with your child and read a chapter or two is a great way to show your interest in their books.  If your child is at the age where reading with you is not “cool”, then sit with them and ask about what they just read.  It is a great exercise for them to transfer what they just read and articulate it into a short version.  The other benefit, you are spending quality time with your child.

2)      Let them read what interests them – Not every child wants to read “Tom Sawyer” or “To Kill A Mockingbird”.  Trying to force your child to read something that does not interest them will only make the experience an exercise, not enjoyable.  You may not think the book is educational, but if your child wants to read a book about sports or the Justin Bieber story let them.  It is the behaviour of reading that you want to create, not every book has to be educational.  Practicing reading is the key; any book can provide that for them.  Sometimes even a good comic can provide the same goal.

3)      Get your child to ask for suggestions – Teachers, librarians, and even their friends can recommend books that will be of interest and will engage them.   

4)      Use any opportunity to make them read – Having breakfast with your child, ask them to read you something from the box.  Don’t make it an exercise, ask them to help you by reading it while you are busy doing something else.  See a great article on Twitter, get them to read it to you while you are cleaning up after supper or while doing something around the house.  Again, if you approach it as “can you help me while I finish this…”, your child will be willing to read it.  Even the smallest reading experiences help with their overall comfort with reading.

5)      Don’t nag them – Do you like when someone hounds you?  Even if you know something must be done, do you like when someone continues to pressure you?  So what makes you think that nagging your child to read is going to make them like it?  Put the fun back into it by picking up a book of jokes or humour, and reading it together at night.   Let them know that it is their choice, but if you use some of the tips above they will enjoy spending 15 to 30 minutes reading every night.

It is hard to be a parent and compete with all the fun things a child can do.  Getting your child to read takes effort on your part, but once you have created a habit that they enjoy you will have developed an avid reader.  Then you can sit back and enjoy a book yourself.