The scientific community, which has been working on learning and the mind for years, says that the ability of children's brain structures to learn, acquire new information, change and be flexible is superior to adults. This situation, called plasticity, facilitates learning at an early age and ensures that the acquired knowledge is settled more permanently.

   There are different areas in our brain that are specialized for each of our functions, such as seeing, hearing, making decisions, and using language. Although these areas are a whole in themselves, they are in constant communication with each other. There are two regions called Broca and Wernicke located in our left hemisphere, specialized for language. These regions communicate with our hearing and movement areas in our brain and carry out the process of acquiring and using language. These areas, which are more active due to plasticism at an early age, accelerate language acquisition.

   In addition to all these, the scientific community says that we have a critical pedigree for language acquisition to occur. He argues that language acquisition, which is a complex process, can be learned in the most active and easy way up to the age of 6-7. Therefore, language skills acquired at an early age are both easier and more permanent.

In a study published in 1977, Rachel Cohen stated that while learning a new language, children slow down after the age of 7 and have difficulty using accents, while 11-year-olds have difficulty in learning a language after one year. For this reason, the child learns the language more naturally and easily due to his mental flexibility and the adaptability of his affective organs during the preschool period.

   In addition to the fact that acquiring a second language in the critical period is more permanent and easier, the use of multiple languages also has positive effects on the brain structure. The use of two languages causes more connections between neurons. The working brain develops and protects itself against regression. Studies show that speaking fluently in two languages, especially from early childhood, develops different cognitive abilities. He also says that this situation protects the brain against the onset of dementia and age-related cognitive slowdowns in old age. Neuroimaging studies of bilingual adults and monolingual adults show that the specialized area in the left hemisphere of the brain is more dense and developed. It was determined that this difference was more pronounced in individuals who acquired that language before the age of five.

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References

Anşin, S. Foreign Language Teaching in Children. D.U. Journal of Ziya Gökalp Education Faculty, 6, 9-20.

Foreign Language Education for Children at Very Early Ages. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2016, from http://www.dilokulu.com/cok-erken-yaslarda-cocuklara-yabanci-dil-egitimi.html

Santrock, JW (2013). Life Span Development. McGraw Hill International Edition.