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Younger children are different. Their greater plasticity means that they can learn languages without much conscious effort, as long as the volume of information
by rahimnathwani 2y ago
Younger children are different. Their greater plasticity means that they can learn languages without much conscious effort, as long as the volume of information is high enough. A child doesn’t learn a language 10 words a day like an adult does. It may be volume rather than spacing that is more important in children.
What are the practical implications of that for, e.g. learning a second language without immersion? My son (7.5yo) has Spanish lessons at school 2-3 times per week, and uses Duolingo every day. Both of these introduce vocabulary and grammar quite gradually. What would be a way for him to learn a new language without much conscious effort, assuming we can't create a Spanish-only immersive environment?
- nicolas_t 2y agoOne suggestion I always have is take holidays in the target country and if possible send the child to a host family there (can use organisations like en famille). You don’t need a long immersion to learn the language at that age. I learned Spanish by staying 3 months in a host family (and going to school) when I was 12. A friend of mine did the same at 8. That initial short immersion combined with medias and occasional travel helps a lot and is more fun than classes would be.
- rahimnathwani 2y agoA friend of mine did the same at 8. Wow. My son is almost 8 and I can't imagine him being away from us for 3 months. I agree this approach would work for a 12-16yo, but personally I couldn't make it work at this stage.