Photo by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash
These days, parents are more interested in giving their kids a headstart in programming languages and other skills that can help put them on a fast track to a six-figure income very quickly.
And while that’s great, parents often forget that there’s no linear approach to helping kids develop a robust mind and well-rounded personality that will turn them into global citizens. Kids often have to do and try so many things before they’ll figure out what works and what doesn’t.
If you want to improve your kids’ chances of increasing their IQ, then you should expose them to multiple languages early too. The benefits of learning more than one language are many.
Improves Problem-Solving Capabilities
Children who learn multiple languages tend to have better listening, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Compared to their counterparts who are only familiar with one language, they also demonstrate a better flair for effective multitasking and focus.
This is not surprising as learning new languages tends to activate dormant neurons. The activation of these neurons leads to improved brainpower and capabilities.
Start exposing your kids early to new languages if you want their brains to be better developed. Multilingual or bilingual children tend to have a more densely developed brain, which is probably why they have better cognition.
Better Communication
If you want your child to be a better communicator, then learning multiple languages is a good place to start.
According to a University of Chicago report, multilingual children typically have more advanced communication skills because see other people’s perspectives, and are better at interpreting other people’s meanings than children who only know one language.
This is probably why a good autism friendly school or special needs educational institution tries to provide the necessary facilities. This way, the brains of special needs children can develop further, thus improving their odds of living a relatively normal life.
Improves Odds of Developing an Ear for Multiple Languages
Contrary to bilingual and multilingual myths, exposing the kids to multiple languages early on doesn’t distract them. Instead, it serves as a great foundation for future linguistic leanings and makes them better academically. Thus, by the time they get older, the baseline for learning new languages is already set up and developed.
This is why adults with multilingual backgrounds are able to learn new languages faster and more effectively than those who do not have that kind of background. Also, because of this background, these kids are able to achieve better fluency and pronunciation in learning new languages when they’re much older.
Might Open Them Up to Better Opportunities in Future
People who are able to speak more languages are better able to adapt to new cultures and lifestyles. This means that if they have to travel to new countries for work, they’re more likely to thrive and flourish there than people who only speak one language.
Multilingual capabilities generally open you up to more opportunities. For example, it’s easier to move to Shenzhen for a new job role with better pay and incentives if you can learn Chinese faster than the average individual.
Parents who encourage their kids to learn new languages essentially set them up for life and provide them with some of the “soft skills” that they need to thrive.
