Children’s brains soak up knowledge incredibly fast. Preschoolers, in particular, absorb information at lightning speed — and often retain it for life. This is why language immersion works so well at a young age. Preschoolers who learn a second language like Spanish gain all the life-long benefits of bilingualism. Preschool is an ideal time to learn a new language.
Why Do Preschoolers Absorb So Much Information?
From birth to infancy, a child’s brain works very differently from that of an adult. At this time of life, brains retain complex information very easily, making language immersion so successful. Research suggests that children develop 90 percent of their core brain structure by 5 years old, and children then build on this foundation for life. Although a person can never stop learning, early childhood is the most important time of someone’s life for knowledge retention.
There are other reasons why children learn a second language so successfully. Children might experience less self-consciousness than adults, who often fear mispronouncing words or making mistakes when learning a new language. Young students also don’t need to master linguistic complexities to communicate in a foreign language, unlike adults.
What is the Best Age to Learn a Foreign Language like Spanish?
Although people can learn a new language at any age, research shows that children under 10 are most likely to succeed in language acquisition with native-speaker proficiency. Again, this is because young children absorb information more easily than older children and adults.
“Learning a new language takes time, skill, and determination, and may be easier for some than others. It’s a known fact that kids learn a new language faster than adults, and they can achieve native-speaker levels with more ease,” says Tech Times.
KSS Immersion Schools specialize in Spanish language immersion programs for preschoolers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Children aged 2-6 can enroll in these programs and improve their learning outcomes in a safe, social distancing-compliant setting.
Looking for a Bay Area Spanish language immersion program? KSS Immersion Preschools has locations in Albany, Oakland, San Jose, and Walnut Creek. Learn more here!
