I grew up knowing that I spoke English poorly. This belief dominated my entire school years. And it’s true, my vocabulary is limited, my grammar, well, mediocre. I’m just not gifted in languages.
All nonsense, I know today. It has nothing to do with “yes or no” language skills. I just didn’t find any access to the language. And above all, I didn’t enjoy the foreign language. And just like me, it happened to most people. It is almost impossible to acquire a foreign language only through school instruction at native language level.
I have been living in Spain for three years now, and for the first time I am experiencing what it means to think in another language and not to translate word for word, but to learn in a way that makes sense. A wonderful experience for which I had to turn fifty. So many thanks to my English and Latin teachers.
If your child is not a native English speaker, you may have concerns about your child receiving his or her instruction in English at UNBRICKED. You may wonder if your child will get enough of the school material or if they will miss important things because they don’t understand half of it.
We take away the worry, because even children who don’t speak English well yet will easily find their way into the language within the first few months. Since English is the natural language of instruction for our students, it almost feels like learning a second native language for your child. And without assessment, any pressure to succeed from conservative language teaching naturally disappears.
But why is it so important for your child to grow up bilingual? Here are 7 reasons:
Decreasing hearing ability from the age of 12
Children learn foreign languages faster and more easily when they are young. The older we are, the more difficult it becomes to learn a foreign language like a mother tongue.
In the first few years of life, children have a special ability to grasp the subtleties of sound formation and pronunciation. Hearing ability is at its peak in the early years. Children are particularly sensitive to different sound nuances and accents, which helps them to understand and speak the language accurately. In this way, early language learning helps to develop authentic pronunciation in several languages. Without any effort.
Increased thinking skills
Growing up bilingual is a treasure trove of thinking skills.
One outstanding benefit is the significant improvement in cognitive skills. Children who grow up speaking two or more languages have the opportunity to take their thinking skills to a higher level.
Bilingual children often develop superior cognitive skills. This is because learning and using multiple languages promotes cognitive flexibility. This means that they have the ability to switch seamlessly between different languages and communication styles. This promotes the ability to process information in a variety of ways.
But that’s not all. Working with multiple languages in parallel also leads to an increase in memory, attention and problem solving. The brain is really challenged and trained as it constantly juggles back and forth between the languages. As a result, children growing up bilingually often develop an improved ability to cope with complex tasks and solve problems in a creative way.
The foundation for further languages
Learning languages at an early age lays the foundation for long-term language competence. With every language learned, it is easier to learn other languages, as the brain has already gained experience with different languages. The brain knows “how to learn languages”, so to speak. What’s more, when you learn a new language, you always find connections to other languages that you already speak. The more languages you speak, the more connections you have and the less you have to cram. So learning a third language is easier than learning a second language and so on.
For example, our founder Jana studied in France, so she has a very good level of French. When Jana was in Spain for the first time, she understood almost everything she read and heard. French and Spanish are two Romance languages whose words originate from Latin. Many words have the same root and are therefore easy to recognize. So anyone who speaks French already has a Spanish vocabulary consisting of many words. Of course, they couldn’t form sentences directly on their own, but how quickly do you think that happens when you understand the language and know many word stems from another language? Exactly! In no time at all.
PS: Jana attended a bilingual grammar school and the English lessons laid the foundation for her love of languages.
Greater educational opportunities
Bilingual students often face a wealth of educational opportunities that go far beyond the boundaries of conventional education. Mastering two or more languages opens doors to a wider range of educational opportunities for your child and shapes their attitude to learning.
The choice of teaching materials is greater, and dealing with information from the internet becomes more meaningful when your child can refer to primary sources, as information is always lost in translation.
It is also easier for your child to participate in international school programs or exchange programs. This is a key advantage for bilingual students. It allows your child to explore the world in a way that others may not be able to.
In addition, growing up bilingual creates a positive attitude towards education in general. Your child will not perceive learning a new language as a chore, but as a natural or even exciting journey of discovery. Bilingual children learn that education is more than just collecting knowledge. They see education as an opportunity to understand the world, explore cultural treasures and broaden their intellectual horizons.
Professional success in a global world
Bilingual education also proves to be an invaluable advantage for your child’s professional success, opening the doors to a world of opportunities and significantly boosting career development.
The ability to work in multiple languages opens up a wide range of opportunities for your child to pursue an international career. Bilingual students are often sought-after professionals who, due to their linguistic and cultural competence, can be employed in different countries, participate in international projects and tap into global markets. This enables them to represent global companies and work in different countries.
Increased self-confidence
If your child experiences early success in learning a new language, it is easier for them to develop better self-confidence. Language success signals to them that they are capable of overcoming seemingly complex challenges, overcoming barriers and exploring the world in a bold and confident way. They experience how to communicate in a new environment or culture and gain confidence in their abilities.
This increased self-confidence extends to different areas of life. Your child will become braver and more open to new experiences. They will be less afraid of the unknown, whether at school, socially or later in a professional context, because they have already experienced that they can overcome difficulties, such as learning a new language.
Cultural understanding and intercultural sensitivity
Learning a second language opens the door to a world of cultural richness and intercultural understanding for your child. For bilingual students, this gift of cultural understanding is a true treasure that reaches far beyond the borders of the language area.
Learning a second language at a native level allows you to gain deeper insights into other cultures. When you truly master a language, you immerse yourself in a world of traditions, values and ways of life.
Children who learn a second language at an early age don’t just learn vocabulary and grammar. Bilingual children have intercultural sensitivity, develop empathy and tolerance towards people from different cultural backgrounds, learn to break down prejudices and appreciate the similarities and differences between cultures. All in all, bilingual children become open-minded people who build bridges.
Conclusion
My own journey of language learning and the misunderstandings associated with it have shown me that learning a new language does not necessarily have anything to do with innate “language talent”. It’s more about access to the language and, above all, enjoying it. This realization has become more and more firmly established in the course of my life.
Today I am happy to be able to say: “Every child is gifted with languages!”
Knowing the benefits of growing up bilingual confirms how important it is to open the door to another language and culture, especially for children who do not grow up speaking English from birth. This door leads to a world of opportunities and positive experiences.
When your child grows up bilingual, they not only become proficient in multiple languages, they develop a broad horizon, high sensitivity and discover a world of possibilities.
And that’s exactly what UNBRICKED is!
