Why should a child learn a foreign language?

Children are more susceptible to foreign sounds than adults and adolescents, making them more capable of identifying and forming new sounds.  Therefore, they tend to be more successful in the pronunciation of a new language.

Children are able to gain a better communicative fluency if they are exposed to a foreign language for a long period of time.
Students of foreign language benefit academically in many ways as neural pathways are enhanced, supporting them in many other academic learning tasks.

The early years of childhood are the most significant years in which a development of attitudes toward different cultures is formed.
Children who study foreign languages and cultures gain a better understanding of the world and thus have greater potential in international and intercultural communication.

Learning foreign languages allows children to improve their self concept and sense of accomplishment during school.
Why Chinese for Children?

• Starting Chinese studies at an early age can enable children to be more successful with the four tones in Chinese pronunciation, which is crucial for communication.
• A long sequence of training is required for achieving a  high level of proficiency since Chinese is listed by the Foreign Service Institute as a Group IV language.  This means that learning Chinese takes 2.5 to 3 times the time necessary to gain the same level of proficiency as a Group 1 language such as French, German or Spanish.  *The Mandarin Bilingual program allows children to receive the appropriate amount of time needed to gain a high level of proficiency.
• Experts believe that early exposure to an idea or experience that is "foreign" can become the driving force for cognitive development.  Chinese is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family.  It is completely unrelated to the Indo-European language family, to which English and most other European languages belong.  Therefore, an early exposure to Chinese will enhance a child's menatal flexibility, creativity, divergent thinking and complex thinking skills.
• Writing Chinese characters helps children acquire fine motor skills since character writing requires visual-hand coordination and awareness of proportion.
• Although Chinese is listed as a Group IV language, its grammar at the very basic level is quite simple for children to learn.  Unlike Western languages, Chinese characters do not have changes with word endings for gender, case, number, person or tense.  The initial stage of Chiense language learning requires imitation and repetition, both of which children enjoy doing, particularly when incorporated into the context of games, rhymes, songs and skits.
• Early exposure to the Chinese language and culture will provide children with an opportunity to explore lifestyles, values and beliefs that are very different from our own.  We hope the understanding they gain will be of great significance to the harmony of our world.
• In the era of global communication, it is important to be able to negotiate, trade and exchange ideas in foreign languages with appropriate attention to cultural differences.  Children will benefit from their early experiences with Chinese studies as they grow up in an increasingly global and multicultural society.
• Since China has maintained one of the fastest growing economies in the world for over twenty years, studying Chinese at an early age can further a child's potential for a future career in international trade and intercultural exchange.

We are grateful to The Far East Book Co., Ltd. for providing the information presented above.