Raising a baby who listens to two languages can help our little ones develop core cognitive skills.
Researchers found that babies from households that speak both English and Spanish have abundant activity in the prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex in the brain, responsible for things like decision-making and problem-solving.
They also found that babies raised in bilingual environments are more “open” to the sounds of additional languages, a highly adaptive thing for their brains.
Multiple studies have shown that bilingual adults also have better decision-making skills than adults who only speak one language.
Although raising bilingual children can sometimes lead to speech delays or initial confusion between languages, the benefits are worthwhile.
One tip from linguists: If you’re in a bilingual household, consider the “one parent, one language” method, where each parent speaks a different language to avoid confusion 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦
Even if you aren’t bilingual, you can still expose your child to different languages by watching or listening to bilingual media with them, or having them spend time with someone who speaks another language. The results will amaze you!
