Why your child should learn a foreign language

Obtaining fluency in a second language:

Has a positive effect on your child's intellectual growth.
Enriches and enhances a child's mental development.
Leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language and a better ear for listening.
Improves a child's understanding of their native language.
Gives a child the ability to communicate with people that they would otherwise not have a chance to know.
Opens the door to other cultures and helps a child to understand and appreciate people from other countries.
Gives a student a head start in language requirements for college.
Increases job opportunities in careers where knowing another language is a real asset.

Source: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language. Additional research about the benefits of language learning can be found here.