Do you think it’s important to teach your children another language? If so, then consider teaching them Chinese. While many parents would balk at the idea of their kids learning Chinese, believing that it would make it difficult to learn other languages, especially English, there are several benefits to doing so.
As more and more people are becoming aware of the many benefits of learning Chinese as a second language, it’s no surprise that more parents are starting to consider teaching their children how to speak Chinese.
For parents who are planning on enrolling their children in Chinese language classes, the number one question that always comes up is how does this help me? In fact, Chinese can benefit you and your child in more ways than you think!
Here are some key benefits of learning Chinese as a second language for your kids.
Developing Cultural Awareness:
It’s one thing to be bilingual, but it’s another thing entirely to understand and appreciate another culture. This is why so many parents enroll their children in foreign language classes—and there are numerous benefits to doing so.
Whether your child is learning French, Mandarin or Spanish, he or she will experience positive effects on overall learning and development by acquiring another language at an early age.
For example, studies have shown that those who learn a second language before they turn ten years old have stronger reading skills than those who don’t. In addition, kids who speak more than one language tend to score higher on standardized tests and show greater cognitive flexibility later in life.
Getting Advantage in the Job Market:
As China becomes more and more of an economic powerhouse, it’s no surprise that many people are now learning Chinese as a second language to communicate with the country’s native speakers.
By learning Chinese your child will have an advantage in their job search when they are older. There are millions of job opportunities available to those who can speak multiple languages but your child will be more competitive if they can speak two or more foreign languages.
According to China’s Ministry of Education, half of all foreign language teaching jobs in China are being filled by overseas speakers. Furthermore, if your children learn both Mandarin and English (which they should), they will have more opportunities outside of China once they’re ready to apply abroad.
Knowing how to speak two or more languages is becoming increasingly important as globalization continues. It opens up more job opportunities, expands foreign language skills and promotes cultural awareness — making it a great benefit all around!
And since learning another language has cognitive benefits such as better problem-solving skills, enhanced memory and improved attention span, your child will benefit immensely from taking lessons to learn Chinese!
Helping Developing Other Areas of Studies:
Learning Chinese is supposed to benefit other subjects, particularly music. People who speak Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese are more likely to recognize musical pitch because they are tonal languages.
Mandarin features five tones: a lengthy flat tone, a rising tone, a dipped tone, a descending tone, and a neutral tone. These tones help express the meaning of a character when pronounced. The terms ‘hug’ and ‘precious’ share the identical Romanized pronunciation of ‘bao’. When spoken in Chinese, however, they are distinguished by their tones: ‘hug’ has the downward tone ‘bào,’ but ‘precious’ has the dipping tone ‘bo.’
Multilingual youngsters typically perform better in topics like arithmetic and English.
Strengthening Cultural Understanding:
With so many differences in culture, language, and lifestyle, your child will get to see things he or she has never seen before. Not only that, but he or she will also be able to understand both Western and Eastern cultures much better than his or her peers who have only grown up learning one of them. This fact will open their mind up to different ways of thinking and ultimately help them decide what they like better.
How many people can speak Mandarin? Mandarin Chinese is spoken by about 917 million individuals who are native speakers. When people who speak it as a second language are included, the total number of people who speak it exceeds 1.1 billion.
Despite this, the number of Chinese speakers in the Western world is extremely small. There are historical reasons for this, the most important of which has been educational authorities’ neglect of Chinese language learning. Many schools are now encouraging their students to learn Mandarin as a result of China’s rise to global economic significance.
Learning a language has a number of additional benefits. Are you teaching your child to be a global citizen? Do they have a strong desire to learn about other cultures and people?
If this is the case, learning Mandarin is a superb method to expand their cultural horizons.
Language learning can be used to teach children about Chinese gastronomy, history, art, politics, geography, and other topics that are appropriate for their age and understanding. Raising culturally curious children can benefit not just the children themselves, but also society as a whole, in a world torn apart by racism, international disputes, climate change challenges, and more.
Helping with the Development of Accurate Hearing and Sound Interpretation:
Children have an easier time learning tonal languages. This is because young children are more sensitive to sound changes. The younger a child starts learning, the more exact these sounds become. Children’s musical talent is aided by their familiarity with tones and noises.
A study conducted at the University of California, San Diego, discovered a robust link between tonal language fluency and the development of perfect pitch. Perfect pitch is a skill that certain advanced cortical processes have. Learning Mandarin may therefore help not only the brain but also the child’s ability to sing.
Becoming Proficient in Visual Communication:
The written form of Mandarin contains over tens of thousands of characters. Mandarin students must be able to read and understand a large number of visual symbols.
Children are more likely to activate more brain regions as a result of this than in English, which uses a phonetic alphabet.
Learning Mandarin can help students improve their visual communication skills, as well as their enthusiasm for deciphering symbols in visual art and their grasp of the differences between symbolism and visual communication.
Improving Math Skills:
There is a scientific link between learning Mandarin and enhanced mathematics skills, according to studies. Based on their research, scientists have concluded that mathematical concepts are linked to language fluency rather than being a separate subject activating a different portion of the brain.
Mandarin activates more brain regions and enhances general cognitive development because it entails learning the language, sounds, art, and math as a whole.
This applies to adults as well. In fact, Mandarin speakers use more of their brains at any given time than English speakers, who are more likely to switch between the left and right hemispheres.
Broadening the Travel Horizons:
Educating your children in Mandarin can help them expand their travel horizons as well as their future employment options. Speaking Mandarin without the need to constantly consult a translation app will dramatically increase the ease with which your children will be able to travel around China one day, from exploring huge, stunning cities like Beijing and Shanghai to finding your way off the beaten path to discover incredible natural landscapes.
There are several fantastic tourist sites in China. What are the finest places to visit in China? It all depends on what you’re looking for! The sheer range of options is incredible.
Your kids will be able to enjoy China in a very different way as a result of speaking the local language effectively, from visiting the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace in Beijing to learning about China’s ancient civilization in Xi’an.
Making New Friends:
Mandarin is not an easy language to learn. How long does learning Mandarin take? According to the Foreign Service Institute, it takes roughly 2,200 hours of study to become proficient in speaking and reading it.
This makes Mandarin Chinese one of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers. However, starting early can give your children a significant advantage.
One of the most important benefits of encouraging children to learn Mandarin is the opportunity to make new friends. Language study provides opportunities to develop friendships that might otherwise be cut off, from local schools with children their age to pen pal services that connect youngsters across international borders.
And, because friendships are so important for social and emotional growth during childhood and adolescence, you’re assisting your child in laying a strong foundation.
Making Study Abroad Easier in China:
Study abroad opportunities are fairly limited in China, making an overseas experience that much more special.
However, there are some universities where foreign students can study both Mandarin and English languages. If you’re planning to send your child to one of these institutions (or another non-English speaking country), then expect them to learn more than just language: cultural exchange experiences with other students will allow them to get to know their peers from other countries in ways they never could back home.
Plus, it’s always good to expose your children (and yourself) to new cultures before settling down somewhere—what better way than studying abroad?
Embracing the Roots and Heritage:
In our modern world, children grow up far away from their origins and cultural identities. But learning Chinese as a second language gives your kids a chance to embrace their roots and discover who they are and where they come from. When you know what makes you unique and different from everyone else, it can help you figure out your place in society – helping your child develop into a more confident adult.
Developing Self-Discipline:
Learning a new language requires dedication and hard work.
Even if your child has inherited native or near-native fluency, there is still no substitute for regular practice and drilling to make sure that knowledge stays fresh. It takes discipline to spend time on improving yourself – but practicing every day builds self-discipline that can carry over into other areas of life.
The Conclusion:
So there we have it! Key reasons to make your kids learn Chinese! Learning Chinese will broaden their horizons in terms of intellectual curiosity, cultural awareness, travel, business, and social prospects. Apart from hiring a Chinese tutor, there are many ways to teach Chinese to your kids, including some fun ways such as games, songs, novels, cartoons, and other activities.
