Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

It is often believed by some experts that children benefit immensely if they start learning a foreign

language

right from primary school

instead

of learning it from secondary education. In my opinion, I agree with

this

thought as children are speedy learners in their early years than at a later part of their life.

Firstly

, children are better learners when they are taught in their early years. With the help of their advanced cognitive skills, they imbibe spoken skills quickly.

For instance

, according to a recent Cambridge study, children between age 2 and 11 are very receptive to learning new sounds and they learn new languages without much effort.

Thus

, teaching a foreign dialect at an early age would greatly prepare a child to be fluent in that dialect before attending secondary education.

On the other hand

, an additional

language

at the initial years of schooling adds more burden to the children. Already efforts have been made to reduce the amount of homework given to young children. Imposing a foreign

language

will certainly hinder that effort.

For example

, a recent study on children happiness index reported that children who don't have homework are happier than their schoolmates with homework.

Moreover

, in some children, a

second

dialect might interfere with their ability to learn the mother tongue.

Therefore

, students should be encouraged to acquire an overseas

language

only when they are ready. To conclude, though there are some minor drawbacks in learning an alternate

language

early, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Most children find it easy to learn when they are taught right from their primary school, and it makes them proficient in that

language

before they reach secondary school.