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

Some people state that learning a second language should start at an early age. They believe that this should be initiated at the primary level of school. While others argue that their young minds might not be able to truly comprehend its importance and prefer waiting until they reach secondary school. Although the former argument offers some benefits, the latter should also be considered in weighing the potential outcomes of such approach.

At an early age, the child’s mind is like a sponge, able to readily absorb knowledge and hold it for a longer period of time. Hence, experts considered this age suitable to introduce the concept of learning a foreign language. In this approach, the child is therefore expected to learn and use the language comparable to a native user. In addition, some experts also believe that this is an excellent academic exercise to further enhance the cognitive abilities of their young brains.

However, introducing such lessons at an early age might bring unnecessary stress to the child who may not be equipped with coping skills necessary to endure the learning process. Such approach is feared by some to bring harm to the child rather than harness their potentials. Thus, waiting until secondary school wherein students are assumed to handle such stress better may be more prudent. Yet, some cannot help but feel that such delay would waste that window of opportunity wherein learning is considered optimal.

To sum up, although a child’s brain at an early age is highly attuned to learning, they might not have the level of maturity necessary to truly understand the importance of learning and skills to manage the stress that comes with it. Therefore, educators should put this factors into account in tailoring their methodology to achieve the desired outcome.