Bilingual Brain Benefits

A warm welcome to all of you that have attended the Hold Your Tongue Event at the Roundhouse Vancouver, BC, Canada and took some of the bilingual benefits cards to use or for others. I would like to provide you with some of the sources that are available on the Internet.

A lot of research is being done on bilingual brain benefits ranging from delaying Alzheimer’s to helping your brain be more effective in work. Below are some of the many links that may give more information.

It is now suggested that it is helpful to study a second language at any age since it shapes the brain in a more effective way.

For many years, keeping your mother tongue was considered a liability or in the case of many First Nations, painful guilt ridden and even dangerousexperience. Fortunately this false premise is now being disproven.

Card 1 –  Bilingual Brain Power Benefits!

  • Improved attention span
  • Multitasking flexibility
  • Increased conflict management skills.
  • Enhanced literary skills,
  • Higher IQ tests

Sources:

  1. http://www.sharpbrains.com
  2. www.lumosity.com/  Free brain fitness games.
  3. http://nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.ca/2012/04/10-proven-brain-benefits-of-being.html

Card 2 – Bilingual Brain Power Benefits

Source:

  1. http://www.sharpbrains.com

Card 3 –  Bilingual Brain Power Benefits!

  • Delayed symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia
  • Increased brain density.
  • Improved brain fitness

Source

  1. http://nanopatentsandinnovations.com

Card 4 – Bilingual Brain Power Benefits (children)

  • Read to your children in two languages
  • Talk about the characters, make them interesting..
  • Children can be read to as young as eight months.

Good sites for children and youth:

  1. http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
  2. http://forum.brillkids.com/teaching-your-child-signing-speaking-foreign-languages/bilingual-books-benefits-of-bilingualism-in-early-education/?wap2