Learning a second, third, or even fourth language unlocks a plethora of benefits. As well as opening doors for you to meet new people and experience new cultures, candidates with a second language are more employable.
Learning an additional language is great for travelling too, giving you the ability to communicate with locals in their mother-tongue. Your itinerary will be better off with tons of possibilities now accessible, thanks to the inside knowledge gained.
With recent research revealing a cut off age of just 10 years old for language learning, teenagers and adults may think they’ve missed the boat. But as the Lingoo network has proven, there are advantages to learning a new language at all ages. In this blog post, we discuss the benefits of learning a language as a teen and pre-teen as well as in adult life.
Young children
It’s never too early to learn a second language. In fact, toddlers and preschoolers have excelled at language learning, proving that the earlier you start, the easier achieving fluency is.
There are several advantages to learning a second language as a child. With children aged between 3 and 4 considered ideal candidates for language lessons, as Motherly details:
“It was inconceivable for children as young as three years of age to be able to learn a second language, given that they have not yet mastered their mother tongue. Nowadays, though, research findings indicate something totally different. Studies by Harvard University confirm that the creativity, critical thinking skills, and flexibility of the mind are significantly enhanced if children learn a second language at a younger age. Preschool years, especially the first three years of life, are believed to be a vital period in a child’s life. This is when the foundations for attitudes, thinking, and learning, among others, are laid down.”
With young children generally having more time to put in the effort that it takes to become fluent in a second language, younger learners do tend to outperform older students.
Teenagers
In some respects, having a tad more life experience can improve absorption and enhance language learning. Motivation levels can also be higher, particularly in teens who want to learn a second language in pursuit of better life experiences or future career progression.
Adults
Learning may get more difficult with age. There are, however, some qualities that only fully grown adults have that make achieving fluency at a near-native level possible.
In an age where adult learning is actively encouraged and accommodated, many adults are looking to add to their skill set with the learning of a second language. The self-guided learning resources are a great way to get started with language learning.
Whether delivered as a book, online course, app or face-to-face conversation club. Your experience can continue and be consolidated with a Lingoo homestay or language exchange holiday.
At Lingoo, our homestays and language exchanges are perfect for people of all ages. We provide the best language learning environment for eager children, ambitious teenagers and self-motivated adults to flourish, whatever language they’d like to learn.
Discover more about our homestays and language exchange holidays by registering with Lingoo today.
