Children are always a marvel when learning new things and trying them out. This applies even to new language acquisition. While language learning and acquisition is challenging, children find it relatively easy. After all, their brains are wired for it! If you are an English speaker, then one of the easiest languages to learn is Spanish! Since Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world, the environment is ripe for learning it! Here we share some reasons why young children can Learn  Spanish easily.

Spanish Grammar Helps Kids Learn Spanish Easily

Most people hold beliefs that Spanish grammar is complex and therefore, not easy to learn. However, contrary to these beliefs, Spanish has an easy to comprehend grammar.  The grammar in Spanish has steady rules with few exceptions and they are pretty easy to understand. For example, Spanish nouns only have two genders and the rules that are used to differentiate them are easy. If a word ends with an “o” it means that the word is masculine while that that ends with “a” is feminine. The exceptions to this rule are few and can be learnt in a short time.  In general, the rules are easy for children to comprehend instinctively as they learn the language.  Due to this, children find it easy and enjoyable to Learn Spanish. 

It’s Easy to Find Learning Resources in Spanish

Since Spanish is so popular, finding learning resources is easy. This is especially true if you live somewhere in the U.S. where we have a large Spanish speaking population. You can find books, classes, movies, games, and apps for this target language at most bookstores or online. 

Pronunciation is Easy and Consistent

One of the most basic aspects of learning a language is pronunciation. When you read or repeat a word, you want to make the sounds correctly and you want to be understood. That’s one of the nice things about Spanish! The letter sounds are pretty consistent and once you learn them , you can read and pronounce words accurately. There’s not a lot of tricky sounds, silent letters or confusion as can be found when learning other languages.  

English and Spanish Share A Common Alphabet

Both English and Spanish share a Latin Alphabet. The letters in the alphabet are mostly the same letters (ñ being a notable exception) and many of them even make the same sounds. This makes a huge difference when learning a second language. An English speaker can learn Spanish easily, much easier than say, Arabic.

English and Spanish Share Many Cognates 

Now, English and Spanish aren’t exactly similar. After all, English is a Germanic Language while Spanish is a Romance Language. However, there are a lot of cognates, which are words that are almost the same in both languages. Examples of cognates include actor, color and animal. However, we do need to be careful! Not all cognates are pronounced exactly the same and they don’t always mean the same exact thing!  

Although learning any second or third language is challenging and difficult, English speaking children can learn Spanish easily. This is because the language has simple grammar, few exceptions and consistent pronunciation. Additionally, Spanish is extremely common and finding the tools and people to practice with is easy! What do you think is the easiest language to learn? 

Keli Garcia Allen is a certified Spanish teacher and currently works as a Preschool teacher in a bilingual classroom. She is the Head of Content for Learn Safari and is currently working on Spanish Safari,  a Spanish Learning game for children 3-9 years old. You can follow her and the rest of the team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.