Language. For many it conjures up the images of people in different countries speaking strange languages that involve vowel and consonant usages that are different than the English language. There are many reasons for this. Americans seem less inclined to learn second languages than other countries. It’s not required for every day life.
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. It is the feature of many South American and Central American countries, as well as Spain itself. It is a beautifully sounding language, with many poetic phrases and an ability to be heard in a way that is pleasing to the ear. There are some statistics about Spanish worth noting. They are:
- Spanish is the official language of 21 countries worldwide, and those countries are home to many fun travel destinations.
- According to census reports, Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the world. With 387 million native speakers, more people on earth speak Spanish than English. The opportunities for Spanish speakers across the globe are endless!
While many countries in the world have a requirement that children and young adults learn a second language, this is not the case in the United States. While there are requirements in high school, most children in other languages start learning a second language by the age of 8, or even younger.
There are many reasons for this, as statistics show. The brain of a child is still developing at a rapid pace compared to adults, making language acquisition much easier. This enables children to pick up on a new language rapidly, which helps them later on in life if they are in positions where a second language is necessary to communicate.
There are some statistics supporting this. They are:
- Many countries mandate the introduction of foreign language in schools by age eight, while students in the United States often wait until junior or senior high school for their first exposure to a foreign language curriculum, thus only having four years of study versus 10 or 12 years when introduced earlier.
- Between ages 8 and 12, your child will lose the ability to hear and reproduce new sounds as they did when they were younger, making foreign language acquisition not impossible, but more difficult.
- For their first eight years, children are naturally acquiring language skills. They learn primarily through imitation, repetition, songs and games.
- Take advantage of the critical time in early development when acquiring language skills comes naturally and easily. A child?s capacity to pronounce unfamiliar, foreign sounds and to absorb new grammar rules is highly enhanced prior to age six.
Many children absorb a language much easier, as their brains are still actively developing at a fast pace and they are exposed to a great deal of stimuli, forcing their minds to organize it. Many children will be better off in this day and age if they learn a second language. This is especially true in places like Europe where there are many countries.
America has a lack of countries surrounding it, making it easy to avoid learning a second language. While there is Mexico, which has its national language as Spanish almost certainly, Canadians speak English predominantly, though a province has its official language as French.
That contrasts with Europe, which has at least 10 different countries all right next to one another, all speaking their own language. English is spoken in the United Kingdom, French in France, Spanish in Spain, Dutch in the Netherlands, Swedish in Sweden, and much more. There are more countries to navigate, making a second language learner more attractive.
This attractiveness comes in the form of employers, among others, who see a second language learner as someone who can communicate with employees in another country, with customers in another country, and travel to another country with ease. This is a significant benefit to both the worker and the employer.
There are terms worth knowing. They are Spanish for preschoolers, Spanish story book sets, Spanish curriculum for elementary school, Spanish curriculum for kids, Spanish curriculum for preschool, Spanish curriculum lessons, Spanish curriculum for preschoolers, and more.
There are other terms as well that are helpful. Those that are looking to teach Spanish have a strong starting point with a Spanish curriculum. These curriculum are likely tailored to different ages.