Believe it or not, infants are prepared to learn two languages from the time they are born. Newborns have a certain part of their brains that work to detect different patterns in words and allows them to learn two languages at one time.
Is this harmful or helpful?
– Learning two languages is helpful to a childs development. Children that learn two languages are often better at processing information and multi-tasking.
Is sign language a second language?
– Sign language is a second language and is usually taught to infants in the child care environment. Learning sign language helps infants to express their feelings and allows caregivers to be more responsive.
Will sign language slow my childs ability to use words?
– Sign language is an aid to words. When a caregiver teaches an infant sign language they back up their signs with words. When an infant uses a sign, the caregiver will repeat the sign back to the infant and attach a word. Sign language is an aid to words and does not affect the childs ability to use words.
What can I do to help my child learn a second language?
– Exposing your child to a second language can help them learn that language. Exposure can start in the womb and happen throughout their lives. Listening to music or videos of different languages are great ways to provide exposure.
Children are born with the ability to learn a second language. It can help them learn to process information better and help them to be better multi-taskers. The best way to help your child learn a second language is from exposure.
