Dear Readers,

This summer I am fortunate to have two Rowan students completing an internship with us and I asked them as their first assignment to research how children learn and work on an entry to my blog, I proudly present the first one:

 How Children Learn

Your child is constantly learning. As you eat dinner with them, they are learning the names of new foods. As they play on the playground, they are learning how to interact with other children their age. Even as you speak to them, they are learning how to communicate. Your child may ask a lot of questions and be very curious, like an information sponge. It is an amazing thing to watch your child grow as you teach them lessons everyday—even if you don’t realize it.

Every day brings new experiences and lessons learned. Since early childhood is the age at which a child’s brain develops, they are able to absorb a lot of information. Every child learns at their own rate, and they learn by “doing” and getting involved in the activity. It is the same idea when you are introducing your child to a foreign language. You may be worried that presenting them with a completely new language will overwhelm them and cause them to be confused. But learning can always become fun for your child, even when they are learning a foreign language. Instead of asking your child to fill out worksheets and overwhelming them with subject-verb agreement, you can include language lessons in the activities they already enjoy!

                We use language in every part of our lives; so introducing your child to a new language would not be too overwhelming, as long as you do it in a fun and interesting way. You can sing a song in Spanish and dance and get the whole family involved. You can go to a pet store and count the puppies in Spanish. If your child loves to play dress-up, you can pick out outfits and say the names of clothing in Spanish. You can even play games and run around in your backyard while pointing out objects in Spanish. All of these activities will be enjoyable for your child; you child might not even realize they are learning! That is how learning can be made fun and “easy!” – by Rachel Mancini

If you are interested on how your child learn and acquire languages, we will be posting more on that topic soon!

Claudia Krusch

Director

Some Parents came to me yesterday at an event I attended and said, their children don’t even speak English…..that inspired me to write this post about the FAQs on the subject “misconceptions of foreign language being introduced in early age to children”.
On the top of the list:

1)  My child doesn’t even speak – misconception

Even if the child doesn’t speak, the foreign language will at least stimulate the brain which is already working to produce language.

2)  My child already speaks two languages, I don’t want to confuse him/her – misconception

All the studies conducted with children who had learned more than 2 languages in early age show that there are infinite ways where the brain is wired to store and process a new foreign language and there’s no limit to it. Children will sometimes, use words from different languages with bilingual parents, but the language use is a social behavior, so they usually use the languages when they are required by the parent who requires…(speaks) Later on , they will separate the language use.

3)  My child has speech impairment, therefore I will not enroll him/her in a foreign language program – misconception

I currently have two children who have speech issues, especially with consonants in English, which is normal in early age, until the brain is processing sounds. But they presented no speech impairment in Spanish, so I came to the conclusion that there are different areas of your brain for different languages and your vocal system will be wired to use its tools to communicate in different ways, for different languages.

4)  Foreign Languages should not be taught later on – misconception

I strongly believe that our brain is being formed until the age of 12, which benefits the early learning process of a foreign language or acquisition of any languages, but that doesn’t prevent any individual who is motivated to learn a second language later on. I currently have an 88 year old student!

5)  My child is too young – misconception

It is never too early to introduce a foreign language to a child, I honestly believe the younger the better. We start mommy and me classes at 14months. Children love it!

I hope that this helps parents answer their questions regarding introducing a foreign language to children. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like recommendations on software and programs in other states or countries.

Saludos,

Claudia Krusch
EasyLearn Programs powered by CK translations LLC

I had a parent call this week and the parent wanted to find out how we used LEGOS in our classes? Well, I decided to share my conversation with other parents in order to inform them of the benefit of using LEGOS in the child’s play time.

There’s a theory developed which defends that LEGOS can be used to treat children with autism, they improve brain function, accelerate reasoning thinking, increase attention and the tactile experience brings an amazing feeling of empowerment not shown with other toys.

We jumped on the idea and developed a program which took the same concept to bring a fun and educational experience to little ones! We teach basic Spanish vocabulary through building and manipulating the blocks.

There are some things you can do at home, such as depending on the age, use megablocks or LEGOS and have them identify colors, number counting, building a house, a car, a boat….take pictures, show it to everybody! Your child will be motivated to accomplish more! Contact us for a list of words you can use while playing with the LEGOS.

If you are interested in having your child join a group, our first sets of classes proved to be a huge success! We will be offering two new sets starting in March. Log on our website for more information:www.easylearnlanguages.com

Saludos,

Claudia Krusch

Director