Bilingual cognitive and language development in the early years

Abstract

This article offers an examination of how learning two languages from an early age may be an asset to children’s development. Although discourses on language learning development are not new, it is crucial to understand the benefits of being bilingual from a very early age. At the interface of bilingual development, the present review article provides a summary of the knowledge gained by science into the effects on children’s cognitive development during the language acquisition process. Results from this review suggest that bilingual children enjoy cognitive gains which are critical for students’ success but there are some challenges that can be addressed to further enhance bilingual children’s learning. Rather than causing any kind of delay, being bilingual improves cognitive skills and more research on early childhood bilingualism must be further developed.