Gwyneth Paltrow has always valued the fact that she learned Spanish as a teenager and wants to pass that legacy on to her children.
And she's doing it the best way possible - insisting that her 9-year-old daughter Apple and 7-year-old son Moses only speak Spanish.
The benefits of teaching such young children a second language are manifold. Aside from expanding their view of the world at large and building empathy for others, learning another language helps you to understand your native tongue in a deeper way. By analyzing the workings of language itself, you start to understand the importance of etymology and grammar in your first language.
A friend of ours has actually taught his daughter 3 languages from infancy, and she has had no problem meeting the challenge. When she reaches adulthood she is going to be very grateful, like Paltrow, for the priceless gift that her parents gave her.
A valuable aid in teaching young ones a second language is Banana Cat - Learn A Language!, an app for iPhone and iPad that teaches kids 50 different words in 8 different languages. The app is like an interactive flashcard system with sound effects, vivid illustrations and audio versions of each word.
Jeffrey Dale Starr is a tequila enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.
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