Can learning a language help your child develop their social skills?

There is a lot to be said for languages, and how learning them can broaden your horizons and open up new corners of the world. It is also proven that learning languages strengthens your brain, and helps you further develop your overall communication abilities.

So what happens with the kids when they’re exposed to multiple ways of communication?

We’ll be exploring 2 main trains of thought.

A child’s brain is a sponge for knowledge, and its capacity for learning new things can be remarkable. It is at this time when the brain soaks up whatever is thrown its way.

Have you ever wondered why children are speaking in complete sentences by age 3, but yet we study languages as adults for years at a time, with our language retention being at a much slower rate than that of a child.

One of Noam Chomsky’s theories was that just like having a heart, and a liver, we are all born with a language organ; an area of our brain built to be developed as a tool for communication, as a biological right, and that as children we don’t learn a language, but rather develop our language organ, with the language(s) that we are exposed to on a regular basis.

This is why the term ‘bilingual’ has a disputed meaning. Some think that ‘bilingual’ simply means that you can communicate in 2 languages. Whereas others think that only people for whom since childhood, they have had 2 co-existing languages they can flit between, is what ‘bilingual’ means.

I’d say it’s a mixture of the 2. Who knows when you began learning a language? Maybe during a long week in France when you were a child, you were exposed to some French that weaved its way into your language organ and now as an adult, you have a surprising knack for learning French.

If you tell me you’ve actually never been to France, then, I can’t help you.

So how can we merge bilingualism and social skills together? Actually quite easily.

Children who are self-reliant in 2 or more languages, have a much easier time communicating with people. They’ve spent their years listening closely to the people around them, to know which language they should use in response to what is being said, or who is saying it. The same could be said for their overall empathy towards other people. Being responsive listeners could mean that they’re attuned to listening intensively and their responses could be more thoughtful and considerate.

Our second train of thought refers more to external pressures and influences children are exposed to, and how this is a crucial aspect to consider, when choosing to put your child in language classes.

We live in a world where it’s growing ever easier to feel separated from our neighbours in bordering countries. Growing up in the UK, there has always been a sense of separation between the British Isles and continental Europe, not just physically, but also socially and culturally.

This sense of individualism can be a disadvantage in later life, when certain preconceptions or stereotypes learnt and developed during childhood, can later affect your perception of a place or a people.

Learning another language not only takes away this sense of distance, but it also allows you to feel a part of something bigger than yourself. Starting as a child, and developing your brain into one that can learn languages well, or has the capacity to communicate as a bi-or multilingual, bridges the gap between “us” and “them”. It is also an invaluable tool to use at your disposal, in a world in which our differences can sometimes seem too large, to make sure we feel more like neighbours, than strangers.

Growing up as a monolingual person, I’ve always felt a little cheated, that I was never really taught a second language. I wish that as a child, I had known more about the importance of learning language, and developing your communication tools. Not only to make your trips to Milan a little smoother, but as a way of really developing yourself in a person of the world. Someone for whom communication isn’t a problem at all.