Why Learn a Second Language in Elementary School?

There are many benefits to learning a language at a young age. Here are just a few

1). Younger students are often more receptive to learning a new language. It is a different approach at this level; students are acquiring language organically through games, songs, plays, conversations and classroom routines.  Learning in this natural way often mimics how children learned their first language.

2). The optimal time to acquire a foreign language diminishes around age 10. 

3). Students often perform better in other subject areas after studying a foreign language. 

4). It takes many years to reach an optimal level of proficiency in a language. Starting students at a young age gives them an advantage over students who start in a later age. 

5). Studying another language and culture promotes a better understanding of students' own culture and the cultures around them.