What Are the Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language in Elementary School?

Many countries such as China and Japan have implemented foreign-language classes in their elementary schools, and those nations have discovered the vast benefits of teaching foreign language during a child's early years. Some elementary schools in America now offer various courses designed to improve students' foreign-language abilities so that those children can reap the benefits of learning a language, too.

Refined Communication Skills

·         Children who study foreign languages are more likely to score well in other areas of study, such as mathematics and verbal grammar. Helena Curtain of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics attributes this to the idea that children who study foreign languages are forced to solve problems outside their normal "comfort zone" and develop critical-thinking skills at earlier ages.

Better Retention of Language

·         The longer a child studies a language, the better his retention will be. Grace Chen of the Public School Review argues that a child's proficiency at a language is greatly increased by his length of study. If a child begins studying a language during his elementary years and continues studying the same language throughout his high school and secondary education years, his retention will be much stronger than if he had only studied a language during his college years.

Natural Curiosity

·         Children are inherently curious, and the introduction of a new language during the elementary years is met with more openness than if the child had been introduced at an older age. Young children also tend to be more open to the ideas of different cultures and accents than older students, which benefits the learner by enhancing her ability to properly pronounce the foreign language.

Career Advancement

·         Elementary students are more likely than older students to retain a foreign language and continue studying it during their education. Studying a language for multiple years will increase the student's fluidity and natural ability to speak the language, providing a leg up in the workforce. Increasing globalization means bilingual employees are gaining value within companies.

Source :http://www.ehow.com/list_6543632_benefits-foreign-language-elementary-school_.html