It is believed by some individuals that students should be exposed to a new language in primary school, while others think these subjects should be taught when pupils are older. I strongly assume it’s more efficient to teach languages as early as possible since children absorb information better.
It is scientifically proven that from birth up to eight years, the human brain rapidly develops, forming millions of new neural connections and laying the foundation for learning. Younger brains are more flexible and open to creativity and adaptation. Consequently, this is the age where studying is the most effective since the ability to comprehend and remember data, such as words or grammatical and lexical structures, is at its fullest degree. As an example, according to a study conducted by the American Health Association, students aged 7 and below remembered on average 40% more words than another test group consisting mainly of highschoolers.
However, there are also drawbacks to the given issue. Learning an unprecedented skill, such as a language, demands a lot of energy, time, and effort. Hence, it can put young students under pressure and result in academic burden. Children can get easily frustrated if the learning process is not managed well. Additionally, there is a possibility a child might get confused if he or she is not taught how to distinguish between languages. For example, a 2015 article published in the New York Times revealed that 25% of bilingual children give up on studying because they find the process difficult and boring, switching their focus to other activities instead.
In conclusion, even though there are few disadvantages of getting familiar with a language from an early age concerning academic stress on juvenile psychology, I believe it’s still a beneficial tendency because of the versatility of children’s brains.