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Global
Children Become Global Citizens
Presented by Beth Butler/Creator of the
BOCA BETH
Program
Today’s savvy parents and educators realize the importance of being
bilingual. They feel a sense of urgency to raise their own children to
be aware of other cultures and languages around the world. Let’s explore
how easily parents can help their children gain an appreciation for a
world full of diversity.
Here are some fun stats to bank away for future cocktail party
conversation. More than 28 million people in our country speak Spanish
as their native language. Learning Spanish opens up the door of
communication with more than 350 million people worldwide. Adults who
enjoyed being bilingual for a majority of their lives experience a
four-year delay of the onset of dementia and dementia like symptoms.
Should a parent begin to introduce a second language to their young
child before the age of five, that child will exhibit early reading
skills.
The list goes on and on. As a mom of three bilingual children and a
bilingual educator of thousands of children between the ages of birth
and ten I keep up on the latest and greatest statistics that relate to
teaching languages to young children and how bilingual and multi-lingual
children excel in life. It is my passion. It is my business to know
these things so that I can relay the information to fellow parents in an
easy and understandable manner.
Dora the Explorer and Diego on Nickelodeon, Dragon Tales on PBS, and
Clay on Disney have all shown parents around the United States that
young children are able to acquire a second language before the
elementary school years, even before the preschool years. In fact the
latest research suggests that it is just as easy for a baby to learn two
words for one item as it is to learn one word for that same item. That
little baby hearing the word bread can easily listen to and learn pan (pahn)
as he stares at the loaf of freshly baked bread.
Here is where the fun part comes in for parents. You know your toddler
is absorbing everything around her like a sponge. You have experienced
your preschooler having an incredible memory for even complex lyrics to
songs or sequences in his favorite book. Now all you need to do is take
that innate sense of curiosity, that window of opportunity for language
learning that we all know exists between birth and ten, and that amazing
cognitive development spurt that occurs during the first five years of
life and mold your child into a global child who in turn evolves into a
global citizen.
It is almost embarrassing that our country does not provide parents,
caregivers or teachers the tools to raise a generation of children
prepared for what is obviously a very global economy. The future our
young children face requires the acquisition of more than just English
as a way to communicate and an understanding of other cultures and
customs experienced by the people in their communities and in their
world. The task to provide them a jump start on garnering these skills
and tools has been handed to us as parents, as the first teachers our
children encounter along the journey of life. This responsibility of
raising a generation of global citizens is up to us as individuals;
whether you are a parent, care provider, educator or all three. We know
that the politicians of the United States and the system they continue
to manifest will not provide for early language learning or for raising
the cultural awareness of our youth.
Parents can make this happen! Teachers can make this part of their daily
classroom routine! And you do not have to be bilingual yourself to give
the gift of a second language. Use the internet, use word of mouth from
other parents and teachers who have experienced success with certain
products and techniques to begin the second language journey every young
child should experience. The solutions are out there. You simply need to
open your mind and your heart to embrace what is sure to be the key to
your child’s success – a lifetime of language learning skills.
About the Author:
Beth Butler is the creator of the BOCA BETH Language Learning Series for
young children. Find out how fun and easy it can be to raise a bilingual
child. Sample the BOCA BETH bilingual music and movies for free at
http://www.bocabeth.com
Call toll free 1.877.825.2622 or 1.813.244.1432 |
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