6 Benefits of Bilingual Education for Your Child

Of course you want the best for your little one, which means offering them every possible opportunity for enrichment—and that includes giving them the gift of multilingualism as they grow up in this increasingly global world. But you also know it’s important to research the advantages of any new experience that you introduce your child to—which is why we’ve made your exploration easy, thanks to this handy annotated list.

The first step on your petit learner’s bilingual journey should be to, as developmental psychologist Dr. Erika Hoff tells The New York Times, “Find a native speaker and have that native speaker have fun, interesting conversations with your child.” Which is why our Manhattan, NY and Montclair, NJ preschool teachers are native speakers who have specialized experience working with toddlers in multilingual spaces.

If you’re considering enrolling your child in L’Alliance’s immersion preschool à petits pas classes, or classes for kids and teens, these six benefits of bilingual education will seal the deal.

• It Strengthens Reading Skills
  Studies show that dual-language students surpass single-language learners in English reading aptitude and solving word problems. Some researchers believe this could be attributed to increased exposure to—and understanding of—the intricacies of language, as well as higher executive function (used for planning, attention, information retention, and more) for those who can discern the differences between speech and sentence patterns.
• It Aids in Multitasking Mastery
  Learning to seamlessly switch from one language to another helps children translate their linguistic balancing skills to other areas of their lives, imparting higher efficiency in both visual and auditory tasks and transitioning between activities, in general. They’re also better at problem-solving, have increased self-control, and excel at abstract thinking.
• It Provides Protection for the Brain
  Consistently switching between languages creates a bigger cognitive reserve, which has been shown to help aid stroke recovery, and bilingualism can even delay the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease—so the benefits of bilingual education truly last a lifetime.
• It Enhances Social Skills
  Bilingual children tend to be better at picking up on social cues because they’re used to monitoring their environment, show more openness to other perspectives, and even exhibit increased sensitivity to more subtle outliers like tone of voice. Knowing more than one language also strengthens logic, thought development, focus, memory, and decision-making skills.
• It’s Easier When Learned Earlier
  Studies show that starting kids early on the path to bilingualism has myriad benefits—specifically because, as children age, their language learning aptitude lowers gradually. When they’re young, both their brains and external conditions are more conducive to grasping a second language—they have more gray matter (for increased information processing), their lessons are catered to their developmental level, there’s more time devoted to practice and repetition, and caregivers speak to them simply and directly.
• It Creates Better World Citizens
  Knowing a second language will open your child up to more professional opportunities, increase their understanding of the world around them, and allow them to easily converse with native speakers when traveling. They’ll be part of a rich global multicultural experience—and all the more empathetic and empowered because of it.Experts agree that it’s important to give kids as much regular exposure as possible to their non-native language—which is where immersion preschool and structured multicultural curriculums come in. Still curious about helping your child reap the many benefits of bilingual education? You can see what a typical day at L’Alliance’s preschool looks like, take a virtual tour of the facilities, or contact L’Alliance Manhattan or L’Alliance Montclair for more information.