Did you know that children who learn a second language have stronger problem-solving skills, better focus, and increased creativity? At Little Elephant, we offer full language immersion programs in Spanish. Your child will become bilingual in a natural way, by hearing and using the new language. Through stories, group lessons, and practical life tasks, our students learn to speak, read, and write in both English and Spanish. They will also learn about different cultures, helping them grow into confident world citizens.
Benefits of Learning a Second Language
Personal Benefits: A second language helps your child talk to more people and explore new places with ease. It also helps them connect better with family members who may not speak English. As they grow older, knowing a second language can make high school easier by meeting language requirements early, and it can help with college admissions. Later, it might even create more job opportunities.
Cognitive Benefits: Research shows that knowing two languages leads children to be more creative and improves their problem solving skills. They often have a stronger memory and can focus better. Children with this experience also do well with tasks such as understanding hard sentences or doing math in their heads. Studies suggest that knowing two languages could even delay Alzheimer’s symptoms later in life.
Academic Benefits: Some people worry that learning two languages might hurt school performance, but studies show the opposite! Bilingual children often have a better grasp of grammar and language rules. They also tend to score higher on tests like the SAT compared to children who only speak one language.
How Language Immersion Complements Montessori
Learning at Your Own Pace: Every child learns in their own way and at their own speed. Teachers give lessons that fit each child, so they never feel rushed.
Learning by Doing: Children don’t just memorize words. They hear and use the new language as they complete their workplay outside,and help in the classroom.
Building Confidence: In Montessori, making mistakes is part of learning. This helps our students feel good about themselves and makes learning a new language easier.
Interactive Learning: Our teachers encourage hands-on learning, which helps a lot when learning a new language. Our students repeat what their teachers say while doing tasks such as setting the table or building with blocks.
Spanish Immersion Program
Our Spanish Immersion program gives young children a natural way to become bilingual. It is a great choice for English-speaking families who want their child to learn Spanish, and for bilingual families who want to help their child develop and grow their Spanish skills. The program is led by our trained, native Spanish-speaking teachers who speak only in Spanish with the children and with each other all day. The classroom is full of Spanish culture with songs, stories, celebrations, and art from Spanish-speaking countries.
- Goals By the end of our program, our students will:
- Understand and speak in age-appropriate Spanish.
- Hold conversations with friends and teachers in Spanish.
- Learn to read and write in both Spanish and English, including reading simple books and writing short sentences.