Welcome FlowerChild

Unfortunately not all children are born with parents from different nationalities. Because learning languages from birth is the ideal situation. But also at the age of 5 children have amazing brain capacities and the flexibility to learn two or three languages at the same time. That is scientifically proven and I have the proof in my own house with two daughters (age 5 & 6) who speak three languages fluently. Most children in and outside Europe start learning languages at college, but at 11 a child is so adapted to the mother tongue that it is extremely difficult to learn to speak without accent. On top of that adolescents are more afraid to make mistakes and cannot learn in a playful spontaneous way anymore. What can parents do to stimulate their children to learn languages at a young age.
1. travel a lot with your children to different countries
2. encourage them to find correspondents (by letters or mail) abroad
3. invite children with different nationalities to come and play
4. take a summer au pair who does not speak your own language
Speaking several languages is not only important for our future in business or work, but it opens our interest and understanding of other cultures.

Tags: Claude Hagège, languages