Can Learning Languages make your child more intelligent? by Lee Mwiti

Can learning languages make your child more intelligent By Lee Mwiti Updated Monday, February 15th 2016 at 11:22 GMT +3 inShare Photo:Courtesy Naima Karimi is proud that her daughter Tiffany Nkatha can speak four languages. English, Kiswahili, French and her mother tongue, Kimeru. Tiffany, 16 years old and in Form Three, started learning French when she was 13 and seems to have an affinity for languages. “She is good at languages and always excels in them. She is also good at writing. She intends to learn German too and, if possible, Chinese,” Ms Karimi says proudly. Such a revelation from a parent, no matter how humble, brings to the core the level of importance we place on children learning other languages apart from the English they encounter in schools and in middle class homes. To a larger extent, Kenyans are progressive when it comes to mastery of languages since most children grow up learning English, Kiswahili and, for some, their mother tongue. Majority of schools also teach a host of foreign languages including French, German and recently Chinese. But encouraging your children to learn more than one language is not merely a response to a fad or a means to show off how clever your children are. There are incredible psychological benefits of learning another language. These benefits extend way beyond being able to ask for a glass of water or order a plate of food, according to research. The brain, like any muscle, functions better with exercise. Learning a language involves memorising rules and vocabulary, which helps strengthen that mental muscle. Edwin Mwai, a Sociology and Communication lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology says that learning additional languages increases critical thinking skills, creativity and flexibility of the mind in young children. “After learning their mother tongue at home, which is crucial for their cultural identity, children learn other languages at school and adapt them better than adults can. The elements of spoken English and Kiswahili are practiced and enhanced through songs, stories and nursery rhymes, and modelled and explored as the children enter their little, fun world of role playing. This is absolutely critical for psychological growth,” says Mr Mwai. Suffice to say western societies are disadvantaged when it comes to the language issue since many use their languages as the means of instruction in schools, and children are therefore not exposed to any other language. See Also: Are you looking out for your child's best interest? The colonial legacy left Africa dependent on foreign languages as a means of fostering nationalism amid societies fragmented by ethnicity. The idea worked well since African children were exposed to European culture through European languages and this broadened their world outlook. http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/evewoman/article/2000191746/can-learning-languages-make-your-child-more-intelligent?