Bilingual Kids Surprising Benefits of Language Immersion

Emotional intelligence (EQ) has been a focus for parents for several decades and while social-emotional learning (SEL) has been around just as long, it became a hot topic in the last few years. But did you know that a great way to foster both EQ and SEL in children is by helping them learn a second language?

Maria Polinsky, Professor of Linguistics at Harvard University, explains that bilingual children develop more cognitive control than monolingual children. By constantly switching back and forth between two languages while filtering out distractions, bilingual children tend to be creative, critical thinkers who are better problem-solvers.

So, what is EQ and SEL exactly? According to Daniel Goleman, a renowned psychologist credited with helping bring the term “emotional intelligence” into the mainstream,

the five main characteristics of an emotionally intelligent person are selfawareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. SEL refers to the process of developing emotional self-awareness, self-control and interpersonal skills (empathy for others) so children can succeed in school and beyond.

Abbie DiTommaso, a local San Diego mother of three, sends her 5-year-old son to an in-home French-immersion kindergarten program, which he has attended since preschool. “My husband speaks French fluently and has always loved that he can connect with people who are different from him,” DiTommaso says. “As we became parents, we looked into other benefits of learning languages and were excited to see emotional intelligence and cultural competency listed among them. For our son, it’s meant working on awareness of how others feel and using social and context clues to figure out a situation.”

Parents may worry that learning another language so young would be confusing for children still trying to master a first language. On the contrary, the first five years of a child’s life is the best time to learn a second language. While children in bilingual households may start speaking a few months behind monolingual counterparts, bilingual children will not only catch up, they are likely to surpass monolingual peers in language skills.

A four-year study of language immersion students in the state of Oregon conducted by teacher and researcher, Jennifer Steele, Ed.D., found many bilingual immersion students reading a full grade level ahead of monolingual peers. When studying a second language, children learn about how languages work; literacy skills are enhanced because there’s a link between learning another language and English literacy development.

Learning a second language is much more than just learning new words and numbers! As children delve into new languages, they are also exposed to new cultures, traditions and values, which extends their understanding of their own heritage and identity, while gaining a broader view of life.

For parents who want to build empathy and social adeptness in their children through bilingual education, there are many language immersion programs throughout San Diego County.

Language Immersion Schools

Die Rasselbande Preschool (German) www.dierasselbande.com

San Diego French American School www.sdfrenchschool.org

Au Claire de Lune French Preschool & Kindergarten www.acdlsandiego.com

Yak Academy (Spanish and Mandarin Chinese) www.yakacademysandiego.com

The Lulus Montessori (Spanish) www.thelulusmontessori.com

Quentz Bilingual Academy (Mandarin Chinese and Spanish) www.quentz.org

Tsumiki Preschool & Japanese Academy www.japaneseacademysd.com

If a family does not want to commit to a full, daily immersion program, there are many “Saturday schools” offered throughout the county as well. Saturday school is typically an enrichment activity that takes place for a few hours on weekend mornings. Depending on the program, classes range from playbased language immersion to intense foreign language test preparation. The programs are often run by groups supporting cultural learning about that language’s country. For instance, the Hungarian Saturday school is supported by the House of Hungary in Balboa Park’s House of Pacific Relations International Cottages.

Saturday Schools

German Pacific School San Diego www.gpssd.org

The Polish School of San Diego www.szkolapolskasd.org/english

Suomi-Koulu (Finnish) Facebook @SanDiegonSuomiKoulu

House of Hungary www.sdmagyar.org/school

*Iranian School of San Diego (Persian; *meets on Sundays) www.issd.pccsd.org

Immersing children in a second language early on provides the opportunity to strengthen EQ and expose them to a wider world. When only one language is spoken at home, there are many local resources to support second language learning, from preschools to Saturday schools, and even resources for home education.

Alternatives for Language Learning at Home

• Switch children’s Netflix shows to another language

• Search for familiar children’s songs on Spotify in another language

• Purchase books on CD from another country’s Amazon site (for example, Germany: Amazon.de)

• Download the app Duolingo

• San Diego Central Library downtown offers children’s books in a variety of languages v

Allyson Kennett is a former preschool teacher and mother of three, living in San Diego’s South Bay.

Read more about the ideal time to introduce a second language in The Preschool Years: www.sandiegofamily.com/resources/ education-directory/preschool-yearsbest-time-to-learn-language.

February 2022 • SanDiegofamily.com • 23