It has been known for some years that being bilingual is beneficial for children, it helps to improve their social skills and in addition, children who speak two languages develop their communication skills more, compared to monolingual children.
But in addition to obtaining these benefits by teaching them a second language in childhood, according to one study, listening to a second language inside the home makes them appear much earlier, because it was found that From six months of age, children growing up in bilingual homes had better control over their care.
Made by the University of York School of Health and published in the journal Developmental Science, the study analyzed the impact that a bilingual environment had on the selective care of babies.
In Babies and more Bilingual children are more flexible to learnTo do this, it they performed two different visual tests, in which the attention of the babies was measured, who were divided into two groups: those who were being raised in a home where only one language was spoken and those who were raised in a home where two languages were spoken, each of them in similar amounts.
It was found that those babies who were exposed to more than one language showed better control over their attention, compared to those who only listened to one language. In addition, they also found that those who came from a bilingual home had better abilities to adapt to the changes.
The researchers explain that this means that growing up in a bilingual environment should be considered as a significant factor in the early development of childhood care, which could provide long-term cognitive benefits.
Remember that it is never too early to start speaking to children in two languages, because even if they are not yet able to answer or articulate words, The benefits of growing up in a bilingual environment are clear in its development.
