Some people believe that learning a new foreign language at such a young age can be beneficial to a child. While it has some advantages, the child’s mental health and wellbeing should be taken into consideration.
On the one hand, learning a new foreign language during early childhood can give advantages to the child himself. He will be able to master it once he reaches his teens. At the moment, children who go to international school are able to speak fluent English and Mandarin compared to those who study at national school. They can even speak similar to the expats and have good pronounciations and grammar.
However, learning a new language can be a challenge to the young learners as it would affect their mental health and wellbeing. Children at young ages are supposed to have their play time more. Learning a new language may require them to study more on vocabulary and grammar that can result in reducing their play time. Moreover, children can be stressed out as they are pressured to learn their mother tongue language as well as a new foreign language. This may result in confusion that may lead to speech delay in children.
In conclusion, I believe that children’s mental health and wellbeing should be taken into consideration when introducing a new foreign language to young learners. The benefits should outweigh the drawbacks it has on children.