Why Kids Lose Language After Starting School
Written by Kari Esh
A child grows up hearing Spanish, speaking Spanish, maybe even preferring Spanish. Then school starts. A few years later, English has taken over.
But kids are supposed to be so good at learning languages. Little sponges. So why does it seem like they forget Spanish as soon as school starts?
I went down the rabbit hole.
Here's what the research actually says.
1. Children learn language when they use it for real-life tasks.
This seems obvious, but it's a little more nuanced (and important!) than most people realize.
A 2019 study of Spanish-English dual language learners found that children who engaged in more complex language interactions had stronger bilingual vocabulary outcomes.
Translation? Language grows when children are using it to do something.
To negotiate whose turn it is.
To tell a joke.
To explain what they're building.
To ask for more paint.
2. Peer Relationships Matter
This was one of my favorite findings.
In that same study, peer interactions played a huge role in kids' language experiences. Kids weren't learning language only from teachers (or parents!). They were learning it from each other. Researchers also found that most child-initiated language interactions happened with peers—not adults.
Which makes sense.
Think about how much harder you work to communicate when you're trying to join a game than when you're filling out a worksheet or telling your mom what you want for dinner.
Language isn't just information. It's connection (and kids care about peer connection…a lot).
3. Childhood really is a special window for language learning.
And school-age is not too late to start learning!
One of the largest language acquisition studies ever conducted analyzed data from nearly 670,000 language learners. Researchers found evidence that language-learning ability remains especially strong throughout childhood before declining later in adolescence.
That doesn't mean adults can't learn languages. They absolutely can.
But it does mean that childhood offers a unique opportunity to build familiarity, confidence, and fluency.
4. Your Kid isn’t “Bad” at Spanish if they're speaking it less.
If a child spends 35 hours a week using English and one hour a week hearing Spanish, English is going to win.
Every time.
Research on heritage language development consistently shows that language outcomes are strongly connected to exposure and use. As children enter school, they spend more time with English-speaking peers, English-speaking teachers, English-speaking media, and English-speaking activities.
The issue isn't ability.
It's opportunity.
So what helps?
More opportunities to use the language.
More relationships in the language.
More meaningful reasons to communicate.
Not vocabulary tests.
Not pressure from parents.
Not perfection.
Just real opportunities to use Spanish in ways that matter.
Enter Club de Español at ¡Eso! Play Lab
Not as extra school.
Not as worksheets in disguise.
Not as “practice time.”
But as a place where kids actually get more chances to use Spanish in real life.
We build activities kids already want to do: art, building, games, movement, storytelling. Because when the activity is engaging, the language doesn’t feel like the “lesson”, it becomes the tool.
We surround kids with peers so language isn’t something they perform for adults: it’s something they use to play, negotiate, laugh, and figure things out together. The same way they naturally do in English.