Abstract
The purpose of this report is to show the benefits of learning more than one language among kindergarten children. The document was requested by preschool establishments that are planning a marketing campaign to increase the level of enrolment. The research identified a number of benefits associated with bilingualism among the target population.
The advantages include enhanced creativity, concentration, and cognitive benefits. To ensure that parents understand the importance of this concept, kindergartens can create open days in schools, print brochures, and send out emails with detailed information on bilingualism.
Introduction
Bilingualism is the ability to use more than one language (Averil 2014). Research shows that the world is moving from monolingualism to bilingualism. Consequently, the number of bilinguals will increase in the coming years.
Reports by the American Community Survey, for example, reveal that more than 21% of children below the age of five in the US can converse in a language other than English at home (Bari 2015). The continuous trend of teaching kindergarten children more than one language has prompted scholars to come up with various views on its importance. Some consider bilingualism to be advantageous, while others deem it as detrimental.
The purpose of this report is to analyse the benefits of learning two languages among kindergarten children. In addition, marketing methods on how to increase the number of children enrolled in school will be highlighted in this document. The report was requested by bilingual kindergartens that are planning a marketing campaign to increase the number of children enrolled into the institutions. The primary sources of information for the report were articles and books on bilingualism.
Findings
People are surrounded by language everywhere in the society. According to Baker (2011, p. 89), language is used to share feelings and thoughts. In addition, it helps people to identify and connect with those around them, as well as understand culture. Various findings on the benefits of bilingualism among kindergarten children were made in this research.
Main Point 1: Cognitive Benefits to Kindergarten Children
Majority of the world’s population is bilingual or multilingual. According to a research carried out by the European Commission in 2006, it was found that 56% of individuals can use more than one language (Viorica & Shook 2012). The world has witnessed a number of technological advancements in the recent past. The innovations have enabled medical experts to examine how bilingualism interrelates with changes in cognitive and neurological systems.
The figure below shows the percentage of bilingual speakers in the world:
Some parents associate bilingualism with confusion. However, research reveals that the ability to speak two languages has various cognitive benefits to children. Such children can learn new words with ease. When a word is mentioned, the youngsters do not hear the entire term at once (Bialystok, Craik & Luk 2012).
The sounds relayed are received in a sequential manner. However, before the utterance is finished, the brain activates loads of words to match the new term. The activation process among bilingual kindergarten children is higher and faster. The reason is because they are not limited to one language. They are able to approach the world from a different view, which helps them to better read and write (Averil 2014).
Main Point 2: Bilingualism among Kindergarten Children Enhances Creativity
Kindergarten children who are bilingual are more creative and better at tackling complex problems (Bari 2015). Their understanding of more than one language enables them to use information in new ways. When faced with complex language-related or arithmetic tasks, bilingual kindergarten children outperform their monolingual counterparts. Research reveals that bilingual children perform tasks better and in creative ways compared to monolinguals.
Creativity is associated with the ability to expand one’s thinking capacity. Baker (2011, p. 113) notes that kindergarten children who can speak more than one language are not limited to a single perspective of the world. Bilingualism opens the door for new ideas.
Consequently, such kindergarten children are able to think ‘outside the box’. Through enhanced creativity, bilingual kindergarten children can switch between different tasks faster compared to monolinguals. The finding indicates that bilinguals are better at multitasking. They outperform monolinguals on assignments that tap into executive functions (Bari 2015).
Main Point 3: Bilingualism Enhances Concentration among Kindergarten Children
Teaching children two languages helps them to concentrate on relevant information and overlook distractions. In addition, bilinguals engage better with other kindergarten children (Viorica and Shook 2012). The ability to manage two languages sharpens the brain. As such, the pre-school children develop the ability to retain and focus on tasks with fewer distractions compared to monolinguals. In addition, they are able to shift attention better and faster when required.
When kindergarten children understand two languages, they must learn to block out one of them when conversing or listening to the other. Doing this regularly helps them to be more attentive. Bilingual kindergarten children engage better with classmates compared to monolinguals (Bialystok, Craik & Luk 2012). The reason is because they are not limited to the use of one language.
Conclusion
The ability to use two languages among kindergarten children has numerous benefits, which outweigh the limitations. During the course of this research, bilingual preschool kids were found to have capabilities that are lacking among their monolingual classmates.
The benefits associated with bilingualism in kindergartens include the ability to concentrate on tasks and avoid distractions, enhanced concentration, and creativity. In addition, bilingualism enhances the cognitive abilities of kindergarten children (Viorica & Shook 2012). Preschool kids who speak more than one language also relate better with their classmates.
Promoting Bilingualism among Kindergarten Children: Recommendations
- The kindergartens should make brochures. The leaflets should contain detailed information on the benefits of teaching children more than one language. For example, bilingualism is associated with creativity. Cases of successful and famous people can be included. Such persons can be added by acquiring information on how bilingualism has helped them achieve what they desired.
- The kindergartens should hold events and invite parents. The affairs include open days at schools where parents and guardians come to witness activities carried out by both bilingual and monolingual preschool kids. During such events, kindergarten children can be grouped and allocated similar tasks to the monolinguals to see which party performs better. The schools can also use the platform to explain that bilingualism has mental benefits to children.
- Kindergartens should send an email to parents and include pictures with scientific research on how bilingualism leads to better concentration. The school can get email addresses by asking the parents to log into their children’s school portals. In addition, kindergartens should introduce special price offers because this recommendation will take time and cost. As a result, they will be able to attract more parents.
Bibliography
Averil, G 2014, RUMACC raising children in more than one language: transitioning from a bilingual kindergarten to school. Web.
Baker, C 2011, Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism, 5th edn, Multilingual Matters, Bristol, UK.
Bari, W 2015, Bilingualism as a life experience: what we’re learning about the last cognitive effects of speaking two languages. Web.
Bialystok, E, Craik, F & Luk, G 2012, ‘Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 240-250.
Viorica, M & Shook, A 2012, The cognitive benefits of being bilingual. Web.