Learning a foreign language is also an excellent way for a young child to begin to grasp that there is a world beyond the familiar one they are used to. They will start to understand that across the world, or indeed even within their own local community, people are different and speak and act in different ways according to their culture.
What is the best way for the under-fives to learn a foreign language?
Young children don't need to be loaded with lots of vocabulary or grammar, so the best introduction to a new language is through nursery rhymes, songs and games that help familiarise them with the sounds and patterns of the language. Games and rhymes involving movement are particularly good at this age, and help embed the natural rhythms of the language. They can also tackle simple sentences about their names and age, for example, as well as learning the names for things like colours and numbers.
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