children learning spanish

You are making an incredible decision if you want your children to learn Spanish. Scientific studies over the years have explained the benefits of children learning Spanish, and only a select few parents take the time and care to help their children in this process.

Some of the benefits of teaching your child Spanish include:

Higher scores on standardized tests

Better command of the language, especially the child’s first language.

Better retention of any language, usually for life.

Also, our economy will be fully globalized by the time your child is an adult. Knowing the third largest language in the world, Spanish, will only make your child more successful.

But what is the best way for a child to learn Spanish? For that, we must remember how his son learned his first language.

With no prior knowledge of the language and no training whatsoever, your son was able to speak conversationally at age 2. This was through the process of “language immersion”: surrounding your child with his first language all day and all night.

The human brain is designed for rapid problem solving and general learning between the ages of 0 and 12, especially between the ages of 0 and 5. That’s why children can pick up on patterns so quickly. It is quite amazing that a baby can intuitively learn a language in 2 years without training!

The best way to teach your child a second language is to simply follow the same immersion process. No, and I mean this very seriously, do not have your child attend Spanish classes or formal training. This will only make them disinterested in learning a second language.

Talk to your child in Spanish whenever you can. Ask your child if she would like “food” instead of “food,” for example. If you don’t know any Spanish, don’t worry. Use this time to learn a bit of the language and learn together with your child. You can learn enough basic Spanish in about two weeks to be able to speak with your child.

Invite family or friends who speak Spanish and ask them to speak nothing but Spanish to your child.

Make sure your babysitter or babysitter speaks Spanish! Many children learn Spanish simply by conversing with their Spanish-speaking babysitters!

Just look for ways that you can immerse your child in Spanish. And just like your child’s first language, they’ll learn Spanish quickly and intuitively in no time.

Taking an interest in your children learning Spanish means that you are responsible and interested in your child’s well-being. But don’t stop here, get out there and start teaching your child today! Good luck!