Beyond Languages: Wonderful Multilingualism
‘The 7,000 languages spoken by humanity represent a multitude of unique worldviews’ (United Nations, 2023).
In today's rapidly globalising world, exposing children to different languages has become more important than ever. Multilingualism offers numerous benefits, from enhancing cognitive abilities to opening up doors of opportunities and experiences. As an educational agency, we're committed to supporting children in acquiring new languages through nurturing and creative teachers.
In fact, native speaker teachers can provide children with culturally rich learning experiences and authentic language input, which is crucial for acquiring a new language effectively.
So, what are exactly the benefits of multilingualism for children?
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), multilingualism fosters greater cultural understanding, facilitates communication, and promotes peace and cooperation among nations. Not only that, studies have also shown that learning multiple languages can improve cognitive skills, including problem-solving, creativity, and memory! Did you know multilingual children have been found to perform better in tasks involving problem-solving and abstract thinking? They can draw upon multiple language systems and cultural perspectives to approach a problem, making them more adaptable and creative in finding solutions.
Learning different languages can be a thrilling and rewarding experience for children! Not only it will enhance their travelling adventures abroad and it will make it easier to engage and emotionally connect with others language speakers but, it can also open up doors to prestigious educational institutions worldwide and new careers.
Top 3 Tips to get children interested in other languages (apart of contacting The Rocket House, of course):
Make it Fun and Interactive: Introduce language learning through games, songs, and storytelling to keep children engaged and entertained. You could have a ‘word of day’ competition or a scrapbook where they stick any new or interesting words and terms they learn.
Encourage Cultural Exploration: Expose children to the culture associated with the target language through movies, food, and traditions. This will spark their interest in learning more about the language. How rewarding is to be able to read a book or watch a movie in the original language!
Provide a Supportive Environment: Offer positive reinforcement, create opportunities for practice, and be patient as children progress through their language-learning journey. Be a role-model and try to learn a new language yourselef!
Sources:
United Nations. (2023). Mind your tongue – exploring the bilingual world (unric.org)
Bialystok, E. (2011). Reshaping the mind: The benefits of bilingualism. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology.
UNESCO. (2017). Global Education Monitoring Report https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247566
