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Alex Arzenshek
Mrs. Lester
Adv Comp
11 October 2011
The Benefits of Bilingualism in Children
Approximately one in five or twenty-one percent of children living in America speak
another language at home according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(“The Advantages of Being Bilingual”). However, more and more public school systems are
deficient in their foreign language departments. If a second language is so crucial to a child’s
educational success and future, why are there such few adequate programs to teach children
another language?Research shows that bilingual children are better prepared for a role in society
and in the work force than children that only are familiar with only one language. The career
field of teaching another language is rewarding because bilingualism is directly linked to higher
standardized test scores and advanced reading and writing skills. Current bilingual educational
programs might be minimal, but the outstanding benefits of teaching a child a second language
are substantial: bilingual children are more prepared for the future, show increased brain
development, and experience improved educational success.
To start off, the issue of monolingual children affects our nation’s economy as well as the
child’s academic success. Bilingualism itself is a superb quality, but parents and teachers must
know how to properly teach the steps of learning a second language. In order to be bilingual, a
child must acquire a first language, known as L1, and learn the second language, L2, through
nontutored exposure or instruction. The most common method of learning a second language is
through the parents speaking and interacting with the child from birth. However, schools with an

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experienced second language programs are familiar with the proper steps to teach children, so
the native accent and vocabulary are retained. Furthermore, bilinguals are defined as individuals
who also know how to speak with eloquence and read and write analytically in two or more
languages (Snow).In the current job market, bilingualism is not just a simple choice of whether
or not to learn another language; it is “a simple label for a complex phenomenon” (Zelasko). In
most countries, children and adults are bilingual because more than one language is used
interchangeably in schools and in the work force. It seems as though our nation’s children lack
the important skill and benefits of bilingualism. Specifically, there are two main categories that
define bilingualism—simultaneous and sequential. Simultaneous is when a child acquires more
than one language at the same time. Sequential occurs when the knowledge of one language is
used to quickly learn a second language. It does not matter how the language is learned as long
as the utilization of the language is continued because children that are bilingual tend to acquire
another language easier than children that are limited to one language (Alic).Studies show that
the easiest and most beneficial method of learning a second language is through the family and
people at home speaking and challenging the child’s knowledge. Overall, the results of
bilingualism in children are very helpful skills, but the L2 language must be taught properly and
used constantly to reap the full benefits.
Secondly, the impact of bilingualism in children is a constructive and helpful tool in a
child’s success in life. For instance, bilingual education is common in schools throughout the
world. Approximately between sixty and seventy-five percent of the world’s population is
bilingual; therefore, bilingual education is utilized in classrooms around the world (Zelasko).
The impact of bilingualism in children shows that more children need to learn a second language
because “…it’s an important 21st century skill” (“One Language Isn’t”). In order to be

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successful in school and in the career field, researchers have said that it is necessary to be
bilingual. Particularly, bilingualism is no longer a characteristic of individuals; it is a feature of
societies (Snow).It is no longer adequate for children to be monolingual because the economy,
society, and educational organizations of the United States prefer the knowledge of a second
language. Schools must reorganize and reconsider their second language programs—for
example, bilingual education has been taught to students ever since the first colonists arrived in
America (Zelasko). Today, more children know the English language in addition to their native
language. This advantage puts them ahead in the job force when compared to most of the United
States’ monolingual children (“One Language Isn’t”). The impact of bilingualism on the world’s
children is evident because they have access to more career opportunities and a better salary.
Bilingual children also tend to have a better understanding of their own language and culture
because they comprehend the other language’s techniques (Marcos). All in all, the impact of
bilingualism is a global phenomenon that America’s children need to grasp in order to be a
competitive member of the world’s career opportunities.
Following that, current solutions to teach more children a second language are being
practiced in schools but not to the standards that are required of society. Specifically, an in-
progress solution to teach children a second language exists in programs known as language
immersion programs, foreign language in elementary schools or FLES, and foreign language
exploratory programs or FLEX (Marcos). There are many approaches to teaching children
another language, and all of the programs include English as a second language or ESL, which
rarely includes the child’s first language in the teaching (Alic). Public school programs are
incorporating methods, such as interactive language learning, that were, at one time, seen only in
bilingual and culturally diverse households.Additionally, research on solutions to increase

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bilingualism in children shows that the benefits include, “increased cognitive skills, higher
achievement in other academics, and higher standardized test scores.”Because learning another
language broadens a child’s vocabulary in their first language, their scores on standardized tests
will increase in the verbal, reading, and writing sections.Expansion of the English vocabulary
will assist children with all areas of their education, not just foreign language. Moreover,
schools are considering a current solution to teaching children another language—to start in the
earlier grades (District Administration). Children’s brains are more susceptible to new
information and concepts; therefore, languages are much easier to acquire at a younger age.
Educational programs are not just incorporating the teaching of another language, but also the
ideas of linguistics and culture (Zelasko). Hence, the current solutions to incorporate a second
language in public education is progressing, which will help expand children’s ways of thinking
and increase test scores needed for higher education and job opportunities.
Lastly, the outlook for bilingual children is very optimistic because of the multiple
benefits accompanied with the knowledge of a second language. Undoubtedly, children that have
knowledge of more than one language are almost guaranteed to be more successful in school,
score higher on standardized tests, and solve problems more efficiently (Walton).By having a
more intelligent next generation, the United States’ economy will most likely improve and
become more stable. Learning a second language gives people a unique perspective on different
cultures which could allow the outlook of discrimination and prejudice to be more positive.
Following this further, bilingualism is not just the ability to comprehend another language, but it
also improves the child’s abilities in verbal linguistics, general reasoning, forming ideas, and
thinking analytically (Alic). Bilingual children have several advantages—a flexible mind, a
superiority in problem solving and forming ideas, and a diverse way of thinking (District

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Administration). Simply knowing a second language can open a child’s mind to revolutionary
ideas and new methods of problem solving. Assuredly, when a child knows a second language,
it gives him or her the competitive edge in the job market that now desires bilingual employees
(Marcos). The outlook for bilingualism in children is very positive because research has shown
that tests of “executive function—a crucial skill that allows us to pay attention” is increased in
bilingual children (Turgeon). Bilingual children have a competitive edge in the job market
because learning a second language is paired with cognitive advantages (Snow). Overall, the
future for bilingual children is positive because of all of the endless benefits of knowing a second
language in academics, in the job force, and in society.
My reaction to the effects of bilingualism in children is surprising because many people
were not aware of all of the positive repercussions. Therefore, most people did not comprehend
the long term benefits that can influence the child’s life. From the better work opportunities to
the increased brain development, bilingual children have an advantage in life that will, without a
doubt, make them more successful in life. Due to the positive outlook of bilingual children, the
future for a career in teaching, researching, or promoting bilingualism is definitely worth
pursuing. There are no outstanding reasons for anyone to avoid going into a career field that
incorporates bilingualism.

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Works Cited
"The Advantages of Being Bilingual."American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association .N.p., 2011. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://www.asha.org/about/
news/tipsheets/bilingual.htm>.
Alic, Margaret. “Bilingualism/Bilingual Education .”The Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s
Health: Infancy through Adolescence. Ed. Kristine Krapp and Jeffrey Wilson.Vol.
1.Detroit : Gale , 2006. 241-245. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Web. 5 Sept. 2011.
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3447200083&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.
District Administration.“Learning a Second Language: When & Why.”District Administration .
Professional Media Group, 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=989>.
Marcos, Kathleen. “Why, How, and When Should My Child Learn a Second
Language?”Kidsource.KidsourceOnLine, Inc, 26 July 2000. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/second.language.p.k12.2.html>.
“One Language Isn’t Enough.” Letter.The New York Times 20 Sept. 2009: n. pag. Gale
Opposing Viewpoints in Context.Web. 5 Sept. 2011. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/
NewsDetailsPage/
NewsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=News&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=O
VIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CA208086685&
mode=view&userGroupName=cant48040&jsid=eb212d9b964a3eaef4d5db3aa8b3360f>.

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Snow, Catherine E. “Bilingualism, Second Language Learning, and English as a Second
Language .”Encyclopedia of Education .Ed. James W Guthrie.2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York
: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. 181-185. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Web. 5
Sept. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3403200072&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.
Turgeon, Heather. “Raising Bilingual Kids.”Babble .N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.babble.com/toddler/behavior-and-learning/raising-bilingual-children/>.
Walton, Beth. “More children learn more than one language.” USA Today .N.p., 10 Jan. 2007.
Web. 6 Sept. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-01-09-language-
children_x.htm>.
Zelasko, Nancy F. “Bilingual Education .”Encyclopedia of Education .Ed. James W Guthrie.2nd
ed. Vol. 1. New York : Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. 175-181. Gale Virtual
Reference Library.Web. 5 Sept. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3403200071&v=2.1&u=cant48040&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w>.