Babies Learn Foreign Languages
Like many children, 2-year-old Avery Feneov loves to sing. But her song selection is a little worldlier than your average toddler.
While most American kids are learning to speak English, Avery is also learning to speak Mandarin.
After learning about the breakthrough research being done at the University of Washington on early brain development, Avery’s parents decided to enroll their daughter in a second language class.
She was only six weeks old.
“The brain doesn’t just turn on automatically at 4 when most schools start teaching language. The brain turns on from the very beginning and it’s ready to take on new language,” said Lauren Seilg, Avery’s mother.
The language school Avery goes to, called “Sponge,” teaches Spanish, French, Japanese and Mandarin to children as old as 5 years, and as young as 5 weeks.
“Babies are really primed to learn language from birth. And so, when we give exposure at a young age it take advantage of the way the babies are learning,” said Jackie Friedman Mighdoll, the founder of Sponge.
Before she opened the school in 2005, she spent years developing a language program especially for kids.
“The kids do activities, games, snacks, song, dance and the older kids do some art too. All things that they are really engaged in and have fun,” she said.
After almost two years of classes, Avery’s parents are pleased with their daughters growing vocabulary.
“She can repeat all the words the teacher tells her, she picks up on all the words the teacher tells her, so dozens. As many as she possibly can,” said dad Kyril Feneov.”
“Children who grow up with more than one language really grow up and appreciate that there can be differences and similarities and that we’re all part of that world,” said Mighdoll.
Sponge school has become so popular they opened a second school in Issaquah.
Source: KING5.com, WA
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