Should Your Kids Learn Spanish?

The rising sales of children’s Spanish learning programs indicate more and more parents want their kids to learn Spanish. Is learning Spanish really necessary to your children’s successful future? Or are parents simply following the trend and trying to keep up with the Joneses? Let’s consider both points of view:

Is learning Spanish just the latest obsession of pushy parents? In the 1970’s every family in suburbia was sending their children for piano or violin lessons. As the interest in musical accomplishments faded, droves of children got signed up for sports camps. Now suddenly children all need Spanish lessons. Is this another case of parents again mimicking other parents, all wanting their child to be the best? Is knowing Spanish a credential that might help your kid get into a private school? Or are parents trying to develop Spanish language skills in their children for the life-long benefits bilingualism might provide?

In reality, a growing number of Americans are bilingual and a growing number of employers are looking for people who understand and speak Spanish to fill jobs. Gone are the days when it was only important to be able to speak Spanish in areas near the Mexican border, or Miami. Today many jobs all across the country are requiring Spanish fluency. A recent letter to the editor of Chicago’s Daily Herald bemoaned, “Job hunt futile if you don’t speak Spanish” and expressed frustration at the number of job listings limited to candidates who could speak Spanish.

While anyone can learn another language at any time, it is much easier to learn during childhood. If your children are able to learn Spanish during their school years, and graduate with a bilingual certificate, they will enjoy an easier time finding work and may command a higher salary than folks limited to English-only careers.

Once you learn a second language, other languages become easier to learn. Many people who learn Spanish as a second language go on to learn French, Italian, or other languages. When your kids learn Spanish, they also tend to learn about and become interested in the Spanish culture, opening them up for even more world knowledge.

No matter what you are learning, it is going to be beneficial to you in some way. This is especially true when it comes to a second language, and if you live in the United States, Spanish is the one to learn. By teaching your kids Spanish, or having them take Spanish classes, you will be opening doors for them for their future. They will use it on the job, when travelling and in day-to-day conversations with other Spanish-speaking people in everyday life. Being able to understand Spanish speakers makes one less likely to have a ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentality. After all, isn’t literally being able to understand the words coming out of someone’s mouth the first step to understanding them period?

At first glance, having your kids learn Spanish may seem like just another way to keep up with everyone else, but in reality you will be doing them a great favor in opening up many more opportunities in their future, both personally and professionally.

Tips to Help Your Kids Learn Spanish

1) Keep it fun. Consider Spanish play groups or camps where games are incorporated into teaching. No-Work Spanish audiobooks use stories as the teaching method and can be listened to during play time or on a long drive.

2) Don’t insist on it. If your child isn’t responding positively to learning Spanish, look for other activities more to their liking.

3) Don’t compare your kids. This rule obviously applies whether they are learning Spanish, playing Little League or just hanging out around the house. No one wants to hear how their sister was fluent in five months any more than they want to hear about the play their brother made to win the championship. Let your kids be their own person.