Blooming en Español

Speaking one language and being able to communicate, share meaningful experiences, and genuinely connect with others is a gift in itself. Being able to speak more than one language not only offers us these gifts across languages, but it also expands our horizons. Research suggests that language and culture are deeply interconnected. Knowing another language can provide opportunities to participate in cultural practices, understand cultural perspectives, and develop greater intercultural awareness (Schroeder et al., 2017; Hoyt, 2016). Speaking another language not only offers us the opportunity to connect with people across languages – it offers us the opportunity to connect with others across cultures by participating in their stories and traditions and being able to share meaningful experiences in another language.

Learning another language is also an invitation to see the world through another lens. Language does not determine how we think, but it can shape which ideas, relationships, and distinctions become more visible to us. In this way, learning another language can open the door to new perspectives, deeper cultural understanding, and new ways of making meaning (Schroeder et al., 2017; Wolff & Holmes, 2011).

As if these benefits were not enough, numerous studies have found that “…bilingualism is reliably associated with several cognitive outcomes, including increased attentional control, working memory, metalinguistic awareness, and abstract and symbolic representation skills” (Adesope, Lavin, Thompson, and Ungerleider, 2010). Put simply, this means that the research supports that individuals who speak two languages (instead of only one), tend to perform better in the following areas: the ability to focus and control where that focus is directed, the ability to retain information in the immediate as it is being utilized, the ability to recognize similarities and differences between languages, and the ability to understand  that a picture, word, etc. can represent something else, even if the real thing is not something concretely tangible (i.e., yesterday, friendship, etc.). One proposed explanation is that regularly managing two languages may exercise processes involved in attention and cognitive control. These skills are important because executive functioning is associated with academic achievement during childhood and adolescence (Best et al., 2011) and because research shows that early childhood circumstances can have lasting implications for adult attainment, health, and well-being (Duncan et al., 2010). With all of these incredible benefits, its no wonder being bilingual is considered a gift by many!

Research suggests that children benefit from their cognitive flexibility, which allows them to easily and naturally absorb sounds, structures, intonation patterns, and rules of a second language (Trautner, 2019). For young children, learning an additional language can be a remarkably natural part of everyday interaction. Learning a second language as a child is as natural as it will ever be – as natural as when they learned the first language, particularly when they experience frequent, meaningful exposure to the second language through play, conversation, music, and relationships. This is why learning a second language through an immersive experience is particularly effective when experienced as a child! 

Learning another language at any age has great benefits! Furthermore, the cognitive flexibility that aids children in language acquisition, does not simply disappear overnight. Studies show that “…for both adults and children, the bilingual advantage in nonverbal executive function emerges with more bilingual experience” (Bialystok, 2015), thus indicating that there are great cognitive benefits for all bilinguals, regardless of age. Studies also show that there is growing importance of foreign language skills in the United States job market, with the Spanish language being one of the top languages in demand (American Immigration Council, 2017).  This indicates that beyond the cognitive benefits, bilingual adults may have access to additional employment opportunities.

Despite the numerous benefits to bilingualism, some parents hesitate to raise bilingual children. Often times this hesitation stems from common myths that persist:

• Impede Development of the English Language: Some parents fear that learning a second language will result in a negative effect of their child’s first language (English), however, studies show that even when a child receives formal instruction of a second language via a bilingual program, it does not impede development of the English language nor does it impede academic achievement in either language (Francis et al., 2006) on the contrary, it can even lead to long-term benefits for language in literacy proficiency in both languages (Bialystok, 2018).
• Delays in Communication: Some parents fear that bilingualism will lead to delays in communication, however, this is not supported by research. Bilingual children would still accomplish their developmental milestones, including their communication milestones, in the same way a monolingual child would simply split between two languages instead of one (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2025; Communication Health Support Association, 2026).  
• Confusion: Some parents believe that raising their child to be bilingual will confuse them and that this is supported by the fact that some bilingual/multilingual children mix grammar rules or mix languages sometimes, however, this is normal and part of bilingual learning (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2025; Communication Health Support Association, 2026)

We believe in the power of having a high-quality family partnership, not just in a child’s learning of a language, but in their learning and well-being as a whole. Research strongly demonstrates that robust family partnerships (i.e., participation in child’s education, collaboration in monitoring progress, etc.), has been positively associated with not just improvements in academic performance (Castro et al., 2015), it has also been associated with social-emotional functioning and mental health (Sheridan et al., 2019), as well as reduced levels of anxiety in early childhood (Froiland, 2021). This is why at BEE we intentionally engage the parents in class, provide them with the lyrics to the songs so they can easily participate, and offer an optional (but strongly encouraged) monthly meeting to best support your child’s bilingual journey, to name a few examples!

At BEE we prioritize play-based learning (learning through play). Studies strongly demonstrate that “playful learning leverages the power of active (minds-on), engaging (not distracting), meaningful, socially interactive, and iterative thinking and learning (Zosh et al. 2018) in powerful ways that lead to increased learning” (Zosh et al, 2022). There are several possible reasons why play-based learning is considered so effective for learning but one of the possible reasons that we lean on at BEE is because of the joy that can be harnessed through play. According to research, experiencing joy is critical when it comes to creativity and learning (Resnick, 2007; Zosh et al. 2022). By joining us in class we hope that you not only witness your child experience joy, but that you also receive a sprinkle of it yourself!

By intentionally keeping our classes small, we ensure that we easily recognize and respond to each child’s unique strengths, interests, and needs. This approach enables us to more easily tailor our approach and teaching strategies to meet children and their families where they are at in their bilingual journey – a key principle in Developmentally Appropriate Practice (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], n.d.).

Adesope, O. O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Cognitive Correlates of Bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, 80(2), 207-245. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310368803

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2025, November 20). Young children learning multiple languages: Parent FAQs. HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-states/gradeschool/school/Pages/7-Myths-Facts-Bilingual-Children-Learning-Language.aspx

American Immigration Council. (2017, March). Not lost in translation: The growing importance of foreign language skills in the U.S. job market. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NAE_Bilingual_V9.pdf 

Best, J. R., Miller, P. H., & Naglieri, J. A. (2011). Relations between executive function and academic achievement from ages 5 to 17 in a large, representative national sample. Learning and Individual Differences, 21(4), 327-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2011.01.007

Bialystok E. (2018). Bilingual education for young children: review of the effects and consequences. International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 21(6), 666–679. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1203859

Bialystok E. (2015). Bilingualism and the Development of Executive Function: The Role of Attention. Child development perspectives, 9(2), 117–121. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12116

Castro, M., Expósito-Casas, E., López-Martin, E., Lizasoain, L., Navarro-Asencio, E., & Gaviria, J. L. (2015). Parental involvement on student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 14, 33-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.01.002.

Communication Health Support Association. (2026). Learning more than one language. Helping You Communicate. https://helpingyoucommunicate.org/article/learning-more-than-one-language. 

Duncan, G. J., Ziol-Guest, K. M., & Kalil, A. (2010). Early childhood poverty and adult attainment, behavior, and health. Child Development, 81(1), 306-325. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01396.x

Froiland, J.M. (2021). A comprehensive model of preschool through high school parent involvement with emphasis on the psychological facets. School Psychology International, 42(2), 103-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320981393.

Francis, D. J., Lesaux, N., & August, D. (2006). Language of instruction. In D. August & T. Shanahan (Eds.), Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (pp. 365–413). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Hoyt, K. (2016). Developing and evaluating language learners’ intercultural competence: Cultivating perspective-taking. Dimension, 51, 75–102.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). DAP: Defining developmentally appropriate practice. NAEYC.

Resnick, M. 2007. “All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking) I Learned (by Studying How Children Learn) in Kindergarten.” In Proceedings of the 6th ACM SIGCHI Conference on Creativity & Cognition, 1-6. New York: Association for Computing Machinery.

Schroeder, S. R., Marian, V., Shook, A., & Bartolotti, J. (2017). Linguistic predictors of cultural identification in bilinguals. Applied Linguistics, 38(4), 463–488.

Sheridan, S. M., Smith, T. E., Moorman Kim, E., Beretvas, S. N., & Park, S. (2019). A meta-analysis of family-school interventions  and children’s social-emotional functioning: Moderators and components of efficacy. Review of Educational Research, 89(2), 296-332. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318825437.

Trautner, T. (2019, January 28). Advantages of a bilingual brain. Michigan State University Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/advantages_of_a_bilingual_brain

Wolff, P., & Holmes, K. J. (2011). Linguistic relativity. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 2(3), 253–265.

Zosh, J. M., K. Hirsh-Pasek, E. J. Hopkins, H. Jensen, C. Liu, D. Neale, S. L. Solis, & D. Whitebread. 2018. “Accessing the Inaccessible: Redefining Play as a Spectrum.” Frontiers in Psychology 9: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01124

Zosh, J. M., Gaudreau, C., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2022). The power of playful learning in the early childhood setting. Young Children, 77(2).