Bilingual children better at solving complex problems.

Parents in the US are finally realising the benefit of teaching their children another language at an early age. Susan Wang, director of the Albany-Berkeley Chinese School, says that about 70 percent of the students in her preschool and after-school Chinese program are of Chinese descent or mixed race.

'The parents may be first-generation Chinese, but they want their children to learn about their culture as well as function in American society,' she says.

Susan says her preschool has children as young as 2 and is becoming increasingly popular. It offers a traditional program of activities such as singing, circle time and snacks but most of it transpires in Mandarin. 'Kids learn Chinese characters and proper pronunciation, but it's still in a fun preschool environment.'

Research from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Applied Linguistics suggests that children who learn a second language are more creative and better at solving complex problems than those who do not.

Other studies show that a 2-year-old brain has twice as many synapses as the adult brain, and the young brain must use these connections or lose them.

'Studies show that there is a window of opportunity for optimal brain enhancement,' says Amy Casey, who runs Walnut Creek's Spanish for Kids program. 'And that is usually in the preschool ages.' She adds that auditory development in people usually peaks by age 12 which is right about the time many US children are just beginning to study a foreign language.

It would appear the value of learning a second or even a third language is beginning to appeal to lots of parents and educators. Studies show that people who are bilingual have stronger brain development, and the earlier children learn a second language, the better.

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Source: Mercury news.com