Some schools start teaching a foreign language in primary school years. Do the advantages of teaching foreign languages to young children outweigh its disadvantages?
Some experts believe that primary school is the optimum period for young people to acquire a new
language
. While this
may have a number of disadvantages, I believe that the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks.
Learning English at primary school may have some disadvantages. Firstly
, it could threaten the ability of children
in their mother language
, children
may get confused about learning many languages
at the same time. Secondly
, it could be a waste of time since children
need to focus on other intellectually developing subjects such
as Math, Science, etc. which they might need more than the foreign one. Additionally
, Their parents must pay more in order for their children
to get early access to English. Parents must also
be fluent in English in order to assist their children
in learning more successfully. But not all parents can meet these conditions.
On the other hand
, teaching foreign languages
at an early age might have some merits. Children
at a young age are fast learners because they are less self-conscious and shy. So they can easily pick up the right pronunciation and try to copy it. Learning a second
language
allows youngsters to build a stronger foundation in that language
. Learning another language
has been proved in numerous studies to be beneficial to the brain, particularly in children
. Learning and speaking in both languages
, as well as translating from one language
to another, allows the baby's brain to "work out" and enhance nervous system flexibility. Children
who learn foreign languages
develop the ability to filter out distracting information, enhancing their ability to absorb and retain a huge amount of new information.
To summarize all of the above considerations, I believe that the benefits of learning a second
language
in childhood can exceed the disadvantages provided children
are given sufficient support, care, and guidance.Submitted by jakedth162 on
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