Some experts think that it is more advantageous for children to start studying a foreign language at primary school rather than at secondary school. Though there is a risk of failure and frustration, in my opinion, the advantage of teaching children a foreign language at their early stage obviously outweighs its disadvantages because they can learn fast enough compared to that of the other age groups.
It is undoubted that starting to learn a foreign language at primary school can be risky for some children, because of the amount of time which needs to be dedicated to this difficult learning process, and the eventuality to feel a deep sense of frustration in case of unsuccess. In effect, children who are involved in studying a foreign language must dedicate less time to games with their peers and to any kind of leisure activity. As a result, this attitude can damage their ability to socially interact, and hinder their behavioural development. Moreover, children who do not succeed in learning a foreign language at primary school can feel depressed and frustrated, and this can seriously damage their self-esteem during adulthood.
On the contrary, it is undeniable that there are some important advantages related to this approach, such as the increased facility to learn a foreign language when this is taught at primary school, and the development of the capacity to solve complex problems more easily. In fact, it is demonstrated by past and recent studies that at an early age children’s brain can easily remember words’ sounds and meanings much better than that of adults, and consequently a new language can be easily learnt during childhood. In addition, today we know that when children speak two or more languages at an early age, they activate some particular brain regions, which are normally involved when they are required to solve complex mathematical or geometrical problems.
In conclusion, although children can have some major problems if they start learning a foreign language at a primary school level rather than later, because it might cost their time with peers and even success in the foreign language learning. However, as the primary class children are sharper in memory and problem solution skills, I believe it is more advantageous to teach them a foreign language than that of the disadvantages it can cause.