Do Children Learn Languages Quicker than Adults?
According to what we hear, children are better at learning foreign languages than adults are. But is this true? No, it is not. It is an excuse that adults tell themselves which stop them from learning progressing in a foreign language.
When children learn a new language, they are rarely corrected nor criticised and do not put pressure on themselves. They relax and have fun which makes the learning process a lot more enjoyable than it is for adults. Children are often not afraid to speak and use their new skills, where as adults tend to shy off from using their knowledge of the new language.
Children are more enthusiastic than adults are which allows them to learn more and practice their language skills. In the classroom environment children benefit from playing games, role play, listening, speaking, writing and reading. This all helps and offers different benefits that are involved in learning a new language. Language teachers are less likely to correct or criticise a child learner, which means that the child is less likely to lose confidence or faith in learning.
Adults on the other hand, are not so forward and do not volunteer themselves in classroom activities that could be very beneficial in the learning progress. Teachers tend to correct adult learners more than they would with children. Adults are also more exposed to the outside world and are deeper thinkers than the average child learner, which means that they often think too deep in to all of the reasons why they can't learn a new language, rather than just getting involved and learning.
Both adults and children can learn a new language in the same amount of time. So don't lose faith in wanting to learn and making progress.