More Good News About Bilingualism!

The Old Good News

Back on November 8, 2015, I wrote about the great things a second language can do for your child’s development. Recap: (1) Better cognitive skills (your kids will be super multi-taskers and have sharper memory of what they see and do) (2) More jobs open to them when they grow up – cha-ching! (3) Easier to develop friendships with peers from other cultures and (4) yes… better vacations in non-English speaking countries.

The New Good News

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Now, more good news. “Two recent studies” show that children who are exposed to multiple languages have superior social skills. Specifically, these children are more likely to be able to pick up on how others see things and to respond to it. This skill would come in quite handy during this 2016 election season. Maybe too late for that but it’s never too late to seed the way for better public discourse, or, for that matter, stronger relationships at all levels.

Note, your child doesn’t need to be bilingual to get benefit. The key is EXPOSURE. This is great news. Even if your child is not fluent in another language, he or she benefits from hanging out with someone who is bilingual.

An old-time philosopher said: “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” As we raise the next generation, we have the opportunity to push those limits, to send them far, far, into outer space.

Do you have stories about the power of languages in your life?