The Several Benefits to Being Bilingual

Recent studies have shown that there are several benefits to being bilingual. Learning a second language could give your child a serious advantage in conceptual thinking. It may even broaden their perspectives and understanding of the world. 

Improving The Executive Function

According to an article put out by Psychology Today, one of the several benefits to being bilingual is it improves brain activity functions. The executive function, for example, which is the control system of the mind that is responsible for focus, planning, and attention, is improved significantly. This is because learning a second language is like understanding the world through a second lens. Increasing focus is beneficial to your child’s learning. They will be able to complete tasks faster when their ability to focus is improved. Planning is important to your child’s learning skills as they start to realize that organization is essential for getting good grades in school. Attention is important to their learning as well, because staying on topic and attention to detail are imperative when writing essays and developing projects in the classroom. And being bilingual strengthens all three of these cognitive functions!

Career Benefits

Being bilingual can also be beneficial when your child begins looking for a career! Bilingualism is great for jobs that require a lot of travel or international affairs. This can make your child an asset in the workplace. Learning a second language could help them a lot when communicating with people while traveling internationally. They could even consider becoming a translator. 

Connections

Another benefit to being bilingual is that it  will also allow them to make connections with people who have a different upbringing and culture than they do, allowing them to branch out. Some words in different languages are not transferable and may have a very deep and drawn-out meaning. If your child becomes bilingual, it will allow them to understand things in a more complex manner, both culturally and linguistically. 

The Critical Window

There is a controversial “critical window” for learning a second language, and that window is from age 5 to age 15. Many middle schools and high schools require that their students take a second language, and most have several different options. The United States’ top four languages are: English, with 231,122,908 speakers,  Spanish at 37,458,470, Chinese-Mandarin/Cantonese at 2,896,766, and French at 2,047,467. Boston Tutoring services has tutors for all these languages. Go the extra mile and enhance your child’s education by putting in the extra work to master a second language, especially if your child falls in the critical window age. Having a tutor and putting in extra hours each week will bring them to the next level of mastering a new language. It’s never too late to start, and our tutors can help. Click here to learn more!