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According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “most children have the capacity and facility to learn more than one language.” Raising bilingual children may seem challenging for some, and it does require some level of determination from the family involved. But the advantages seem to surpass the challenges of raising bilingual kids. Read on and you’ll learn about some of the advantages of raising bilingual children.

Bilingual children work at a more complex level than monolingual kids

The brains in children who speak two languages can handle “higher cognitive processes.” Incultureparent.com outlines some of these:

1. “Better ability to focus and be less distracted”
2. “Better at multitasking”
3. “Increased mental flexibility and creativity”
4. “Stronger logic skills”

And, according to the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, they have better memory skills too.

Bilingual kids can have a wider range of work opportunities in the future

Consider Canada as an official bilingual country. Many may argue that learning French may not be worth the trouble as most Canadians function in English. However, according to an article by huffingtonpost.ca, there are thousands of federal government jobs that need to be filled every year.

Canadian families don’t need to speak french for their kids to be bilingual. They can choose to enrol children in the Canadian French Immersion program. So Canada will teach kids French for free. In exchange, these bilingual children may be the only ones qualified to fill up these government positions in the future.

See more from our site on this topic, as it relates to French Immersion tutoring and education:

• Why get a French Immersion tutor?
• The pros and cons of French Immersion programs and how French Immersion tutoring can help

But looking at how globalized everything has become, children who grow up speaking two or more languages will have much wider access to career opportunities than monolingual kids across the globe. It may be much easier for bilingual kids to work for international companies and abroad.

Being bilingual can help delay dementia and Alzheimer’s in old age

BBC.com says that “scientists examined almost 650 dementia patients” as part of a research that wanted to know what impact bilingualism had on dementia. The results showed that bilingual patients developed dementia a few years later than monolingual patients.

The New Yorker has a great article on bilingualism and the aging brain. They mention the research done on Alzheimer’s patients and how being bilingual has acted as a protection against the onset symptoms of the disease. The research concluded that bilingual patients developed delayed diagnosis and symptoms of the disease compared to monolingual patients.

To conclude, if your child is already bilingual, learning even more languages may be easier for them as their brains are already trained to handle such a complex task.

For families who already have bilingualism in their midst, exposing your kids to a second language can start as young as infancy. The younger, the better! Consistency and perseverance in keeping a second language is key. But taking into account the above advantages mentioned in this article, seems worthwhile!

Plus, see these related posts about language education and brain stimulation on our blog!

• Why get an ESL tutor?
• Top 10 ESL Tutoring Tools For Students in British Columbia
• Benefits of teaching kids music at an early age
• Learning spelling and grammar in the age of “spell-check”
• Why kids should learn how to code

If you think that brands are only something teenagers and adults are concerned about, you might be surprised to know children as young as 3 can recognize brands. But what is wrong with a preschooler wanting to buy only Lego as opposed to other types of blocks? Or by choosing to have a Mcdonald’s birthday party over having one at home? As you will read in our article below, brands may have a deeper impact on young children than you may think.

Kids are understanding brands at a much younger age nowadays

In their article ‘Preschoolers know all about brands’, Slate.com points out how powerful brands can be on young children. Based on a study done by the Madison-Wisconsin and the University of Michigan, 3 year olds are already familiar with brands such as Disney, Mcdonald’s and My Little Pony. Livescience.com has also referenced the same study. In their article they have included several quotes from preschoolers, aged 3 to 6 year old.

They say that, nowadays, kids are starting to judge others based on the brands they like from a much younger age than before. What these kids have to say shows that they do make certain judgements based on the brands they recognize.

For instance, a child associated having a birthday party at Mcdonald’s with having lots of friends. Anna McAlister, a researcher in the study “Children’s Understanding of Brand Symbolism” says that this type of cognitive discernment would be expected on an 8 year old.

So why is it bad for a 3 year old to have such developed thinking? In the Livescience article linked to above, McAlister calls this type of child socially mature. She says: “Children who are able to think about the thoughts of other people are better able to dig out a toy and say ‘I’m going to take this Lego to preschool because other kids at school will like it … and think I’m cool.’”

As a solution, McAlister advises parents to have more control over their kids’ tv time. This is so they don’t get overly influenced by brands and don’t start judging other kids based on what brand advertisements are teaching them.

Brands influence what kids want to eat

Food is a huge part of a child’s development. And advertising companies know this very well. Fast food companies target children in a very particular way, offering indoor playgrounds, toys with their meals, and most important of all, yummy treats.

Slate.com points out that, “if you stick a McDonald’s label on carrots, kids will tell you that they taste better.” Slate also quotes Alison Gopnik, author of The Philosophical Baby. Gopnik links the influence brands have on kids with obesity. And it makes sense.

Take a child who watches an advertisement in which children are thoroughly enjoying some sort of junk food. The child will then go to the supermarket with mom and see this brand item displayed. Chances are this kid may beg and even throw a tantrum over wanting the treat. To keep the child happy (and calm), parents may give in and feed their kid the treat he so enjoys. The brand has won.

Children are incredibly smart. They absorb absolutely everything they see and hear. Brand companies know this and advertise their products accordingly. In the McAlister study linked to above, she says that the more a child is exposed to brands, the more socially mature and sophisticated they’ll become. And this may create:

• Children who make distinctions based on brands.
• Children who choose friends and peer groups based on their favourite brand of toys.
• And children who prefer to eat unhealthy food.

So in a way, the simplicity of a child’s thinking and understanding may be taken away if they are overly influenced by brands.

Monday comes around and your child is refusing to go to school. Your kid used to love going to school but this has now become a daily battle. So you engage your child because you know school is a must and there shouldn’t be any reason, other than illness, to skip school. The result is a power struggle that may only intensify the negativity with which your child is viewing going to school. If this is a daily occurrence in your household, here are some ways to help your kids love going to school:

Find out what is bothering them about school

According to Sara Bean, M.Ed., children who refuse to go to school may be experiencing a number of issues. It’s possible that they are being bullied. They may also be having trouble meeting their academic requirements. They could be having issues with responding to authority and rules. They can also be having other types of anxieties which may or may not be be related to school. Sara Bean also suggests that, when trying to find the root cause of your child’s issue with school, you should use open-ended questions. For example, you could ask,

• “Who is bothering you at school?”
• “Which subject are you having the toughest time with?”
• “How are you feeling in Ms. X class?”

These types of questions will probably help your child open up to you and get the conversation going.

Respond appropriately and find a long term solution

When your child opens up about what’s bothering them about going to school, don’t take the response lightly by trying to find a quick solution to it. Some parents may resort to bribing them for the day or week, or promising them it’ll get better soon but not really doing much about it. Based on Sara Bean’s four possible categories your child may have fallen into, they may need extra tutoring to meet their academic shortcomings, counselling, a talk with the teacher or principal, changing classes or school, and so on.

Example, routine, dialogue, involvement

Once a long term solution to the particular issue(s) your child expressed are appropriately addressed, you can establish healthy practices going forward to keep your child motivated. Begin by becoming a motivating example to your child. According to parenting expert Brenda Nixon, “a parent’s attitude is contagious.” So if you wake up in a bad mood, remember that children are influenced by your attitude. Based on Nixon’s advice, the article linked above suggests to be positive in the mornings and leave enough time as to not rush them to school. Make their mornings as calm as they can be.

For this to happen you could set up daily routines for your child. You could both do a fun routine chart so your child knows what to expect every school day. This will ensure your child has a regular bed and wake up time, a set snack, homework, dinner, and free time, for example.

Ensure there is daily dialogue with your child. A great place to ask about how everything is going at school may be at the dinner table. You can also have this talk at bedtime. This can be a way for your child to open up with you about school. By having open dialogue, you can hopefully catch issues before they become a morning power struggle again.

Finally, Care.com suggests getting your child involved in either sports, music, or another after school related activity. Not only will your child make new friends, it will give them a positive outlook on school. They will have something to look forward to after school is done. Do be careful  that you are not over-scheduling your children though, as they still need time to do homework and rest.

If you child is chronically refusing to go to school, there may be a deeper issue at hand. The solutions may be ongoing until your child graduates from school. Don’t just quickly dismiss your child’s plea. Instead, get to the bottom of it and find a workable long term solution. Your children may love going to school for the rest of their school life if you do so!

Plus, see these related articles on our blog!

• Spending one-on-one time with your child to figure out how they learn
• Learning how your child learns: making the assessment
• The importance of interest in learning

 

Skateboarding may often be associated with ‘rebellious street’ teenagers who love adrenaline. But you may be surprised to know that skateboarding is not just for youth looking for a cool lifestyle.

Allowing kids to learn skateboarding has significant benefits for their development. Yes, it can be a dangerous sport. But don’t most sports carry some level of risk? Below you will find some of the ways your kids may benefit from skateboarding. There’s a chance your negative view on skateboarding may fade away.

Kids learning to skateboard get a full workout

According to healthfitnessrevolution.com, when your children skateboard they need to use their entire body to get that skateboard moving (unless they are going downhill). They need to exercise their feet, legs, arms for balance, and torso for turning. Of course, at the beginning, kids learning how to skateboard will get less of a workout. But once kids learn the basics, the amount of muscle work and physical movement needed to skateboard will greatly benefit their overall physical health.

Falling and getting back up teaches endurance and perseverance

Skateboarding is all about falling down and getting back on the skateboard. With the right coaching and encouragement, kids learning to skateboard will be motivated to learn how to fall. They will then learn how to keep going and become better no matter how many falls it takes. Thus a great lesson on endurance and perseverance can come with skateboarding.

Learning to skateboard can give confidence to children with special needs

The CJ Skateboard camp is a great example of an organization that has proven how beneficial skateboarding can be for autistic children and other special needs kids. Its founder, Jay Mandarino says that they’ve had autistic kids “who were never supposed to speak end up speaking.”

There is another non-profit organization called Get on Board that focuses on teaching kids with Autism and special needs to skate, at no cost. They have seen first hand, through thousands of students, how “suddenly, a kid who never looked up is looking up.” Kids with special needs are empowered by learning how to skateboard..

Skateboarding can teach your children about inclusion

Eva Glettner is a mom of three boys who are into skateboarding. She describes how going to a skatepark taught her and her boys to be non-judgemental.

It’s happened to most of us. We judge people based on their looks, their fashion, how tattooed they are. Yet, according to Glettner, no matter how you look, you are welcomed. What’s more, she says there’s always someone to help you get back on your skateboard. So now her boys have become part of the “camaraderie that skaters have with one another.”

Perhaps it’s time for us to forget about the skateboarding lifestyle that’s often associated with this sport. And maybe to put less focus on the dangerous physical risks that skateboarding can have, in exchange for some of these benefits. Even if you are not intending your kid to become the next Tony Hawk, you might want to give your child a chance to learn how to skateboard!

See a similar articles from our blog!

• 3 reasons why children should learn to swim
• Kid’s health: the importance of kids staying hydrated for academic performance and activity
• How to teach kids to try, try again
• Teaching pedestrian safety to kids

When it comes to educating our children, does it make a difference if you raise kids in the city or the suburbs? Does one place offer better educational resources than the other? Here are some points to consider if you have come across these questions:

City life: Educate kids about culture and diversity

Cities are hubs for educating children about culture and diversity as they are filled with people from all over the world and all walks of life. Kids raised in cities will grow up hearing different languages and seeing different races. They might even be exposed to food from other countries considering the array of restaurants cities can offer.

They also see rich, poor, disabled and privileged people using the same public spaces. For example, a simple ride on the subway, skytrain, or bus may be a great world lesson on its own as it will show the diversity mentioned above. Inner city schools will most likely also be quite culturally and economically diverse.  Due to the offshoot issues that poverty and assimilation can create for a school’s entire student base, this can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the viewpoint of each individual.

By exposing children to such an environment, children can grow up knowing that everyone is different and yet we can all coexist in one place. With proper education, they can be raised to respect the diverse world we live in.

According to the article linked to above, cities are also filled with museums, public galleries, educational centres and often have cultural events that are easily accessed by those living in the city. These public places will teach children the importance of art, culture and history both inside and outside the classroom.

According to some, a drawback may be that a large percentage of kids who attend inner city schools come from poor families who may not be able to afford extra curricular activities. This may force kids to misuse their free time in illegal activities, for instance drug dealing and stealing. Kids growing up in such a way may have a negative effect on the school experience as a whole.

Suburban life: Space, nature, better schools

Life in the suburbs will typically offer much more space for children to spend time outdoors, which will enable them to explore and learn more about nature. In addition, they may get more physical exercise in a cleaner environment. The Waldorf theory of education, which encourages spending time outdoor as part of a child’s learning development, is a great example of how beneficial this may be for children. Check out our blog post on the topic.

Suburbs may also offer tighter communities with families of similar backgrounds, which can offer children a sense of safety and familiarity. Instead of having to stay at an urban playground watching your kids like a hawk, children can safely spend time in your own spacious backyard. You could also let your children play in the cul-de-sac with the neighbourhood children.  Allowing your children more freedom to play unsupervised in the suburbs doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be safer there than in the city. However, if you have become acquainted with your neighbours, it may be possible to have more peace of mind to do the above.

In some metropolis areas, suburban schools may have better resources overall; newer buildings, better classrooms, and more qualified teachers, as these communities can allocate more of their funding (some of which may come from wealthy patrons) for educational needs.

A drawback may be less time spent with children if you have to commute to the city for work purposes. Also, you may spend more time driving if you want to take your children to experience some of the educational activities found in the city.

How to choose between education in the city vs. the suburbs

Public schools in both the city and the suburbs are supposed to offer the same basic education all children deserve. However, each of these options offer different ways to enhance a child’s overall development and educational experience. It really comes down to what kind of experiences you want your children to grow up with and the importance you place on academic education as opposed to overall world education.