Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school.Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

It is said that humans start to learn a language while they are inside their mother's womb. They tend to grab the surrounding sounds even before birth and learn to react for those noises. Today it is common that everyone learning foreign languages, especially English during their primary or secondary school. As per my experience giving opportunity to learn a foreign language during the primary school is very useful and and an advantage the child's future.

Admittedly there are some disadvantages such as, it would be a burden or hard on some of the small children. This might be true if their parents or teachers try to put pressure on them on learning a foreign language, as if they are preparing for a college exam. It is up to the teachers to understand the limit a child can handle and to teach them without pressuring and demotivating them. Otherwise there is a greater possibility that a child will be stressed and afraid of learning a language even when he becomes an adult. Adding to that in the secondary school there will be many subjects and activities to follow. Middle of all the course works, assignments and extra curricular activities it would be hard for them to start focusing on learning a new language compared to younger age.

However I still believe the idea that starting to learn a foreign language at primary school is an advantage on children's future. At younger age children's brains are adapting to new environment so they can easily and quickly grab new things than most of the adults. Even researches have proven that children can learn new languages together better than most of the grown ups, if they start at younger age. In primary schools they do not have many complex subjects which will give them space to learn a new language.

In addition young children are not shy as grown ups which will make them speak and try the new language than secondary school students. This is one of the most important things in learning a new language. For an example I started learning English when I was in the secondary school and most of us were shy and afraid of talking in English thinking others might laugh at us if we made mistakes. But if we were given the opportunity to start at younger age it would have improved us a lot at the time we were in the secondary school.

Therefore considering all the favorable and unfavorable factors my conclusion is that advantages outweigh the disadvantages. But to turn out it as an advantage teachers needs to be educated enough not only about subjects but also psychologically about children.