The Benefits of Foreign Language Exposure for Infants

We’ve heard this time and time again, “teaching a baby multiple languages will only confuse them!” Well, we are here to tell you otherwise and share why studies are saying that exposing your baby to a foreign language will help them better develop their cognitive abilities. With there being some contradiction on this topic we wanted to share the advantages of exposing your infant to a foreign language even if you are from a monolingual household.

Baby's brains are ever-changing and are constantly taking in new information just like a sponge! There will never be a better time to start teaching a child a foreign language than between the ages of 0 and 3, this is due to the fact that their brain, during this stage, is a powerful learning machine.

An interesting fact about an infant's brain is that just before they are able to say their first words, their brains are already specialized in which sounds they can process! That being said, babies from a monolingual household can only process sounds from the English language, if that's the spoken tongue, and babies from a bilingual household can process sounds of, let’s say, English and Spanish!

Having adequate exposure to new languages aside from English can help a child tremendously in the future with school, problem-solving, and even English comprehension skills. The benefits are endless but learning how to expose your infant to a new language, aside from their native tongue, can come with some challenges if they are raised in a monolingual household.

There are many avenues at which to approach exposing your child to a new language, whether that be sending your child in a bilingual school, hiring a bilingual nanny, or enrolling them in an immersion school.

At Chimmy 5in1 Languages Center, we recommend Mommy & Me classes as a way to not only immerse babies and young children into a new language but to also help transition a monolingual household to more foreign language exposure. As babies are continuously growing and learning, we believe that families can adapt and grow together while learning a new language!

Written By: Neika Fatehi