Whether your child is fully or partially homeschooled, have you considered introducing a second language curriculum such as Spanish? Since Spanish is spoken across the globe, and is the official language of 21 countries, it makes sense to include a homeschool Spanish curriculum. Not only is Spanish a practical choice for future employment options, it is also the language spoken at many popular travel destinations.
Foreign language requirements exist in many countries, and a second language is usually introduced by the time a child is eight years old. In the United States, however, many students aren’t required to take another language until they’re in junior or senior high school. Whether this is a graduation requirement, rather than a choice, does vary depending on school district policies and state curriculum mandates.
Being bilingual–even multilingual–is common across the globe. Over two-thirds of school-age children in other countries are bilingual, according to the Summer Institute of Linguistics. In the United States, however, only 17% of native English speakers are fluent in another language.
Children begin developing language skills from birth, and language acquisition is a natural process until they’re around eight. Since a young child is already developing their native language skills, their ability to mimic and retain sounds, including unfamiliar foreign sounds, is stronger at this time. Children learn these skills through imitation, repetition, modeling sentence structure, and other cultural nuances. Games, songs, story time, and other activities are exceptionally effective when children are young.
You can find preschool Spanish curriculum that includes Spanish story book sets and other lesson materials. If you have an older child, then there is also elementary school Spanish curriculum available. When you choose to add a homeschool Spanish curriculum to your child’s other classes, you can let them know they’ll be able to practice their new language skills with quite a few people.
It’s also easier for children to learn a second or third grammar system before the age of eight. Depending on the child, this may be more difficult after eight up to 12. This is because many children don’t have the same ability to reproduce the sounds they hear. Another reason to introduce a second language is because it will be even easier for them to learn a third language.
It’s recommended that you add a second language to your homeschool curriculum as early as possible, preferably before the age of five. If your child is under ten, or even ten or older, you can also successfully include an effective curriculum.
While English is commonly spoken across the globe, Spanish is the next in line. According to census reports, there are 387 million people for whom Spanish is a first language. Furthermore, more people actually speak Spanish.
While your child may not know what they want to be or do when they grow up, there are so many job opportunities for people who are bilingual in Spanish and English. People who are bilingual actually earn more than people who only speak one language. In fact, they tend to earn 20% more than if they only spoke one language.
When you add homeschool Spanish curriculum to your child’s itinerary, you are also expanding their cultural awareness as well as their opportunities.
