Second Soul: Learning a Second Language at an Early Age Erasmus Project

Project Title

Second Soul: Learning a Second Language at an Early Age

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Early childhood education and care; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

To have another language is to possess a Second Soul. ‒Charlemagne

“Second Soul” project will contribute to develop a new way of teaching languages to children in Kindergartens and Preschools that will involve the collaboration of the parents even when they do not speak the second language.

Consortium of five partners from Spain, Greece, Poland, North Macedonia and Portugal. All of them have kindergartens or preschool sections working with bilingual education (3 publics and 2 privates).

Sometimes it is difficult for the teachers to teach a second language because they have just some few hours a week for working in the second language or because the second language is not attractive for the children because they do not use it with their relatives or friends. Teaching and learning a second language, even when it is easier for children, takes time and perseverance. The children will need hours of immersion in the second language, to have fun while they learn the second language (children always learn better if they have fun) and to learn that second language from the teachers (the professional language) but also from their families (the emotional Language). If the children feel that the second language is important for their families and they receive a reward (a word, a hug, a smile, a clap…) every time they try to learn or they improve in the second language the motivation of the children for learning that second language will increase exponentially. That is why we think that involving the families will be good for the second language acquisition of their children even when they do not speak that second language. It does not need to be difficult for the families, they just need some daily tips for working with their children.

Learning a second, third… language is always good because it has a lot of benefits for the brain of the children and you can develop more and better skills. But sometimes, and each day more in European countries, learning a second language contributes to social inclusion and integration of thousands of immigrants and refugees that come to live to Europe looking for a better future. The most of these families do not speak the language of the country where they are going to live but their small children will have to go to the kindergartens/preschools without knowing the language of the country (and the parents will not be able to help them). If we help the parents to motivate the children for learning the second language at home too they will learn the language quicker and their integration and social inclusion will be easier.

So the methodology of the project propose to involve the parents in the bilingual education of the children with Flipped classroom, TICs… It will make more attractive the second language for the children in the classroom and at home with the parents. The idea is to incorporate the second language in the daily routine of the children and make them feel that language as part of them.

With this methodology and resources we expect to increase the skills of the children in a second language at an early age, to promote the social inclusion of immigrants and refugees through the learning of the language/culture of the country and to educate European citizens more open to other languages and cultures. Once the results are proved we expect other European teachers and parents to implement this methodology in other kindergartens and preschools.

In the long term this project will help Europe to enhance the learning of languages, so that more young people will speak at least two European languages in addition to their mother tongue.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 171404 Eur

Project Coordinator

BABY ERASMUS SL & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Samorzadowe Publiczne Przedszkole w Strawczynie
• JOUDG “Breshia”
• Platon m.e.p.e.
• Agrupamento de Escolas D. Filipa de Lencastre