Is It Ever Too Early to Start "Other" Languages?

In my role as both parent and teacher, I am often asked by concerned parents whether it is "too early" to start introducing their children to another language. Having raised both my children to be bilingual (living abroad and keeping their "maternal language" up to scratch with home tutoring), I can safely assure you that it is NEVER too early to begin with a second or third or fourth language!

Most parents are concerned that their children will mix their language acquisition and become confused, essentially learning two languages fused together to create one hybrid, unusable language that will hamper the child's academic and social development.

This is simply not so. From my observations and based on the books I have read on the subject, I would say that children naturally distinguish one language from another. My 4 year old refuses to speak French to an English speaker and vice versa. She is too young to suffer from the embarrassment factor which my 7 year old goes through if I speak to her in the "wrong" language for the situation. For the 4-year-old it is simply a matter of context.

So my advice is this: Go for it! Help your children to succeed by giving them another string to their bow - a necessity in our modern and highly competitive world. Give them a second language, or a third, or a fourth! And never worry that it is "too early". No child can ever satisfy their desire to learn.....encourage that and see just how far it will take you!