The world only grows bigger by the day. Language is how we make sense of it all.

The best time to learn a new language is at a young age. Children’s psychology is at their most malleable and retentive before they reach the age of six, which is right alongside their developing social skills and lack of inhibition. To put it simply, kids aren’t worried about sounding ‘funny’, which goes a long way in making a language curriculum stick. Elementary Spanish is among the most coveted today thanks to the prevalence of the language. Adding it to your schedule is a smart move for entire families.

Here’s what you should know about elementary Spanish and its application in day-to-day life.

Did You Know?

A beginning Spanish curriculum will yield even more good than you thought possible. Children who speak a second language will actually learn a third language a lot faster, thanks to working off of pre-existing building blocks like grammar and pronunciation. This is especially true if they learn another language similar to their own, such as a native English speaker picking up Spanish or French. This also helps them down the line. Recent studies have proven bilingual employees earn, on average, up to 20% more per hour than their monolingual counterparts and often have higher opportunities for growth.

Language Learning In Other Countries

Many countries are already leaps and bounds ahead when it comes to providing children the opportunity to become multilingual. Quite a few have mandated the introduction of foreign language in schools as young as eight years old, while students in the United States often wait until junior high or high school for their first ongoing exposure. Compare this mere four years of consistent study to a decade of consistent study to have a better idea why American students often lag behind. The Summer Institute Of Linguistics have found two-thirds of the world’s children are bilingual, while less than 20% of the American population is.

Spanish Around The World

One of the most applicable and beautiful languages to learn today is Spanish. The official language of 21 countries around the world and the second most spoken language in the world, applying elementary Spanish is just the logical thing to do. Recent census reports have also determined Spanish to have over 385 million native speakers…that’s more speakers than English! Its similarities to English also make it easier to learn. Learning Spanish to communicate with new people or apply for a job are just a few of the benefits that come with picking up a new skill.

Psychological Benefits Of Learning Spanish

As touched on above, there are also a lot of psychological and social health benefits to elementary Spanish. Within the first six to eight years children are much better at naturally acquiring language skills. They learn these through imitation, repetition, and games. Compare this to much later in light, in which children’s natural malleability is significantly reduced. Learning foreign languages makes a person more flexible, a faster learner, and more creative, among other things. Kids Spanish curriculum introduces this in a bite-sized format.

Teaching Children Elementary Spanish

Your elementary Spanish curriculum needs to achieve a few things to be truly effective. The younger it’s introduced to children, the better, as the younger mind is much more flexible at retaining new information. Providing fun activities like songs and games will also take the ‘obligation’ away from studying a new tongue. Last, but not least, it’s important to apply this skill in daily life to get across its functionality. This means encouraging children to watch Spanish movies or make new friends. More schools today are starting to implement the Spanish curriculum.

With the world such a big place, learning a new tongue is a great way of making it a little smaller.