Language Immersion Day Care in Belmont

Child development experts discovered that children absorb second languages more naturally than adults, especially if they are exposed to different facets of its culture at an early age. If you’d like your child to become proficient in a second tongue, forget about grammar workbooks and conjugation charts. Instead, consider a language immersion day care. Belmont has several fantastic institutions that teach kids a second language through the arts, games, and literature. If your child attends these schools long enough, it is likely that he or she will be speaking like a native in a few years’ time.

Challenge School

Expose your child to the best of Eastern and Western culture at Challenge School in Belmont, California, a language immersion day care that just opened its Belmont campus in the 2006/2007 school year. Challenge School is committed to teaching children about Chinese culture, specifically Mandarin culture and language. Did you know that there is no such thing as a “Chinese” language? There are over 50 minority groups in China, and each group has their own spoken language. However, Mandarin – or Putonghua, as native speakers call it – is China’s official business language and the most universally spoken Chinese language.

At Challenge School, your child will be taught how to speak and write Mandarin by being exposed to it on a daily basis. If he or she is between the ages of two to five, you can look into the AppleSeed toddler class, which makes uses of arts and fun activities to introduce the language to young children. There are also several Enrichment Classes in Chinese folk dancing, abacus, kung fu, go, and Chinese instrument to foster a deeper appreciation for Chinese culture in older children. In addition, children and their parents are invited to participate in exciting school-wide events, especially the Chinese New Year Party, Moon Festival Party, and the Summer Talent Show.

Universe of Colors

Learning a new language should feel more like a game than a dull lesson. At Universe of Colors’ fun and engaging language immersion programs, children get introduced to Spanish, Italian, French, and Mandarin through music, plays, arts and crafts, and more. All curriculums are interactive and age-appropriate so that your child can develop social skills and gross motor skills along with the second language. Since each class is very small (no more than 6 students per class), children quickly gain confidence to speak the language in a casual and intimate environment.

Universe of Colors designed their programs so that you can have several options when it comes to languages, hours, and schedule. If your child is between the ages of 1 and 2, perhaps you’d like to join the Mommy and Me program, a parent-participation program where you and your toddler can learn Spanish, French, or Mandarin together. There is also the pre-school program for kids ages 2 to 5 years old. Your child can attend all five days or just one or two days a week. Either way, your child won’t be left behind; classes are centered on a letter of the week and a theme of the month, allowing your child to participate in activities even if he or she attends infrequently. Kindergarteners and older children can join Universe of Colors’ after-school language programs, which focuses on music and art to expose children to a new language.