Why should you encourage your kids to learn French? So they can order Soupe à l’oignon with the perfect accent the next time they visit a fancy French restaurant?

Maybe, but that isn’t the only reason.

Children pick up languages much faster than adults. Therefore, learning a second language at an early age is one of the best things you can do for your child.

The earlier you help them get started, the better chances they have to master the language and become a fluent speaker.

In this blog, we’ll look at some more reasons to encourage your child to learn French and why learning French online is a much better option than traditional learning methods.

Benefits of learning French as a child

1.    French is useful all over the world

Did you know that only two languages are spoken on five continents? English and French!

Around 300 million people all over the world speak French, and it’s only going to increase with time. In fact, this number is expected to rise to 700 million by 2050!

It is the sixth most spoken language worldwide and is at the second number when it comes to the most learned foreign language.

This basically means that it doesn’t matter where you are on the planet, if you’re good with these two languages, you’ll thrive.

This widespread reach of this language adds fuel to the other benefits of learning French.

2.    Cognitive skills

Learning French, or any second language, early in life has been shown to enhance the child’s cognitive skills and overall brain development.

Bilingualism strongly impacts cognitive flexibility, which is reflected in the child’s ability to switch between two languages.

Studies have stated that learning a new language early increases the child’s ability to think critically, creatively, flexibly, and solve problems efficiently.

Providing your child with an immersive environment to learn French is the best way to help them improve functions like their attention span and mental alertness.

These children also show more empathy than their peers and develop a global mindset that sets them up for success in the future.

3.    Broader Career Options

Learning French can open numerous doors for your child in the future.

Whatever industry or career they choose for themselves, learning French will help them stay one step ahead of their competition.

Given the widespread use of the language, they can communicate effortlessly with clients, vendors, or even employees from different countries in their language.

This helps them build a deeper connection and positions them in a better light than their competitors.

Should they choose to go into a field like international business or even politics, learning French can be extremely helpful.

Organizations like the United Nations, NATO, and even the International Olympics Committee acknowledge French as one of the official languages.

It can prove to be the stepping stone to obtaining a higher position in their company or landing their dream job in the future.

4.    Easy to learn!

How long does it really take to learn French?

Well, French is the best choice for a second language if your child is already familiar with English. It is closely related to English and shares similar sounds and sometimes even words and roots.

This makes it easier for your child to pick it up.

However, this doesn’t mean they can learn it overnight.

Additionally, kids really don’t like working hard, especially when they don’t understand the benefits of learning the language like you do.

Therefore, it’s critical to find a way to make learning French enjoyable for your child. If your child doesn’t enjoy the process, it’ll be ten times harder for you to help them learn.

5.    Learning French makes it easy to learn other languages

French provides an excellent base for your child to pick up other languages.

French is known as the universal language of love, so it shouldn’t surprise you that it specifically helps with other romance languages like Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, and Italian.

Why learning French online is a better option for your child.

1.    Improves all four basic language skills

Learning a new language requires your child to master all four skills equally, i.e., reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Schools usually focus their efforts primarily on the reading and writing aspect, neglecting the other two skills. This makes your child less engaged in the process and makes the method itself quite one-sided.

Online French classes focus on teaching your child all four skills equally, which allows them to create more fun and engaging modules that your children actually enjoy!

2.    Find Native teachers

It’s difficult to find native teachers within your region to help your child learn French. But even if you do find one, you can’t deny that they will cost you an arm and a leg!

With online learning, you can have native French teachers help your child learn the beauty of their mother tongue with all its culture and nuances.

And the best part? It’s much more affordable!

3.    Infinite resources and tools

Online teachers don’t have to stick to markers and whiteboards to teach their students French. They can take advantage of the numerous tools and resources available on the internet to make it fun for your child to learn the language!

Additionally, there are enough options available online that your child will never get bored.

4.    Build connections

Learning French online connects children with kids their own age who know or are learning French through online forums.

Building such connections helps them make new friends with whom they can speak French. This makes learning French so much more exciting and engaging.

5.    It’s fun!

It’s not news that children love to play games. Learning French online provides instructors the option to gamify the learning process to make it fun and interesting for kids.

6.    Receive French lessons from home

Learning French online allows children to receive French lessons from the comfort of their home.

Additionally, you know your child’s learning style better than anybody else. Whether they learn better with pictures, rhymes and music, games, etc., you can help personalize the learning experience for them.

LingoCircle can help instill the love of learning French into your child through our interactive and playful curriculum. We want our students to be excited to learn, explore different cultures and interact with one another.

You can start your free trial today!

At what age is it advisable to learn French?

Children can start learning from as young as 3 to 15 years old. LingoCircle offers small virtual meet-ups for these children where they can play games, read books, sing songs, socialize, all while learning the French language and the culture in a playful setting.