© ESL Study Guide
Topic: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
In modern society, the more skills you possess, the more successful you can be in life, especially in the job market. There are some people who say that children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school. On the other hand, there are those who believe that the children are too young at that age to be expected to study another language. I think that children should start learning a second language early because it is easier to learn at a young age, and it can stimulate children to broaden their knowledge of the world.
First of all, children have greater abilities when it comes to studying a foreign language. It is often said that a child’s mind is like a sponge. This means that children are able to soak up new skills with more ease than adults. For example, if you take a look at children that grow up in a bilingual situation, you will realize that they are more able to communicate in two languages. Children growing up on the border between the United States and Mexico are very often able to speak English and Spanish. This is because they have regular exposure to speakers of both languages. This can help them find a job in either country once they reach adulthood. Their ability learned as a child becomes another marketable skill.
Moreover, a bilingual education can be fun and stimulate interest in learning for the children. For people who grow up in a single language environment, their views of the world are narrower than those of a bilingual person. For instance, children that grow up in a rural area of the United States have very little knowledge of people outside of their region. If given a chance to learn another language, they might have some interest in what is going on outside of their world. Language often offers more than another way to speak, but also new ideas and cultural insights. If given the chance to learn in more than one language, children will have a broader view of the world. A second language will be the base of an entirely new area of knowledge.
To conclude, while some believe that children should not be expected to learn a foreign language, I would have to disagree. A second language is ideal for children because they have the ability to learn more easily at an earlier age, which will benefit them in adulthood. In addition, learning a second language will stimulate children into learning more about the world outside of where they live. It only makes sense in a world that is becoming more global everyday.