More preschoolers learn foreign languages as parents realize benefits.
The number of American preschoolers like Brian who are learning to speak two and three languages is the rise because many experts and parents find that learning foreign tongues stimulates a child's mental development. Research has shown that bilingual youngsters are more imaginative, better with abstract notions and more flexible in their thinking than one-language children. D.C. Yet that doesn't come close to satisfying the demand for preschool foreign-language instruction. In Washington, applications have doubled in the past year for the International School's nursery and kindergarten classes taught in Spanish or French. Some parents say they regret not having learned a second language themselves.