How Speaking Two Languages Benefits Your Child

Raising a bilingual child can open doors to unique opportunities, boosting their cognitive abilities, enhancing their cultural awareness, and strengthening family connections. In the UK, where English is the dominant language, bilingual families may wonder if speaking a second language at home could slow down their child’s English development or affect their educational experience. However, research and experience show that bilingualism is a wonderful gift for children, helping them succeed in school, life, and beyond. Let’s explore the many benefits of being bilingual for children and why maintaining your mother tongue at home is essential for your child’s language development.

Why bilingualism is not a learning difficulty

A common misconception is that learning two languages from a young age might overwhelm a child or delay their ability to speak English fluently. However, being bilingual or speaking English as an additional language (EAL) is not the same as having a learning difficulty or special educational need.

For children who are learning English in school while using their mother tongue at home, bilingualism is an asset, not a hurdle. Learning multiple languages enriches a child’s cognitive skills, enhances their adaptability, and fosters resilience—qualities that benefit their educational journey.

Cognitive benefits of bilingualism

Research consistently shows that bilingual children often enjoy cognitive advantages over monolingual peers. Here’s how bilingualism positively impacts the brain:

1. Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills: Bilingual children learn to switch between languages and use different sets of vocabulary, which trains their brains to think flexibly and adaptively.
2. Improved Memory and Focus: Managing two languages helps children sharpen their memory, improve focus, and ignore irrelevant distractions more effectively.
3. Greater Creativity: Bilingual children are frequently more adept at thinking creatively and seeing situations from multiple perspectives. Exposure to multiple languages fosters out-of-the-box thinking.
4. Higher Academic Achievement: Studies suggest that bilingual children often perform well academically, particularly in areas like maths, reading comprehension, and critical thinking, due to their strengthened cognitive abilities.

Social and emotional benefits of being bilingual

Bilingualism doesn’t just benefit children academically. There are numerous social and emotional rewards as well:

1. Better Cultural Awareness: Learning and using multiple languages helps children understand different cultures, customs, and perspectives, which fosters empathy and cultural sensitivity.
2. Strengthened Family Connections: Speaking the mother tongue allows children to communicate with extended family members and elders, preserving family history and creating a strong sense of identity.
3. Increased Confidence: Being able to communicate in more than one language can boost a child’s self-esteem, making them feel competent and confident in different social and educational settings.

Language development: why the mother tongue matters

A crucial element in raising a bilingual child is to ensure they have a solid foundation in their mother tongue before mastering a second language. Here’s why:

• Cognitive Foundation: A strong first language (mother tongue) provides the basis for all future language learning. Children who are fluent in their mother tongue generally find it easier to learn a second language like English.
• Family Bonding and Emotional Support: For children, learning to express emotions, understand stories, and experience family traditions in the language of their home is foundational. Using the mother tongue builds an emotional connection and a sense of belonging.
• Balanced Language Development: Research shows that children who develop their first language well are more likely to be successful in acquiring a second language. Inconsistent or “mixed” language exposure can sometimes create gaps, so establishing a firm base in the mother tongue first can be beneficial.

It’s perfectly natural to want your child to excel in English, especially if they’re attending an English-speaking school. But rest assured that speaking your native language at home will not slow them down in English. In fact, it’s more likely to help them thrive in both languages.

The practical benefits of bilingualism

In addition to cognitive and emotional benefits, being bilingual can offer your child a range of practical advantages:

1. More Career Opportunities: Fluency in multiple languages can open career doors, especially in fields like international business, healthcare, teaching, and law, where multilingual professionals are highly valued.
2. Ease of Travel and Study Abroad: Bilingual children often find it easier to travel, learn, or study abroad as they are more adaptable and have stronger language skills in general.
3. Improved Decision-Making Skills: Studies have shown that bilingual individuals may make more rational decisions, as switching between languages can help them analyse and process information more objectively.

How parents can support their bilingual child

If you’re raising a bilingual child, here are some ways you can support them in developing strong, balanced language skills:

• Use the Mother Tongue at Home: Don’t be afraid to speak your native language with your child. Establishing this foundation will help them build confidence, vocabulary, and cultural identity.
• Read Together in Both Languages: Reading to your child in both languages can enhance their language skills and expose them to a variety of linguistic structures and stories.
• Encourage Bilingual Friendships: Connecting with other families who speak both languages can give your child opportunities to use both languages socially, making bilingualism a fun, natural experience.
• Communicate with Teachers: Stay connected with your child’s teachers to discuss your child’s language development. Teachers are generally very supportive of bilingual families and can offer insights or resources to help your child progress in both languages.

Embracing bilingualism for lifelong benefits

Raising a bilingual child is an incredible journey with benefits that reach far beyond the classroom. By nurturing their mother tongue at home, you’re equipping your child with the foundation they need to learn and excel in a second language like English. Bilingualism enhances cognitive abilities, cultural awareness, family connections, and opens up a world of opportunities for your child’s future.

Encourage bilingualism by speaking your native language at home and supporting English language development through school and social interactions. In doing so, you’ll help your child gain the best of both worlds, preparing them for a future where they can think creatively, connect with diverse cultures, and confidently embrace new challenges.

How we can help

At This Child Can, we provide expert SEND tuition and mainstream tuition to students worldwide, helping bilingual learners thrive academically while reaping the cognitive and social benefits of multilingualism.