Loris Malaguzzi wrote of the hundred languages of children to describe the infinite artistic and creative ways children express themselves and make meaning. This idea sits at the heart of our identity as an Arts School, where children communicate through movement, sound, gesture, sculpture, drawing, drama, experimentation and imagination. These expressive languages are central to how children understand the world and their place within it.
But what happens with the literal languages we use every day?
At the Edinburgh Montessori Arts School we are proud that more than 21 different languages other than English are spoken by our students, teachers and families. This linguistic richness is far more than background noise. It is a thriving resource that supports identity, connection and cognitive growth. We call a child’s home language the language of the heart because a child’s first languages are those they use most fluently to express emotion and identity. Every day, around our school, children converse in their home languages with peers and guides. These are the incidental celebrations of difference and culture that shape the EMAS experience.
Why language matters from the earliest years
Research confirms that young children who are exposed to multiple languages benefit cognitively, socially and emotionally. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages notes that multilingual individuals develop improved memory, stronger problem solving, better concentration and deeper cultural understanding. Montessori’s theory of sensitive periods reinforces this. She identified the first seven years of life as a window of exceptional readiness for language development, a time when children absorb linguistic patterns with remarkable ease. Neuroscience supports this too, showing that sensitive periods occur when the impact of experience on the developing brain is especially strong.
Language is more than a communication tool. As UNESCO writes, “Language is crucial to individual identity, group identity, and cultural membership.” This understanding sits at the heart of our practice. In the Infant Community children communicate long before they can speak. Their absorbent minds take in a multitude of sensory experiences and gradually weave them into meaning through everyday life.
By celebrating many languages at EMAS, we honour this early brain plasticity and create an environment in which every child’s linguistic heritage becomes a source of strength.
How we put this into everyday practice
From Nursery through to High School, our multilingual environment is woven naturally into daily life at EMAS. In the Infant Community, children hear songs, rhymes and games in many languages, celebrating the identities of every member of their group and the languages spoken at home. This creates a joyful and inclusive soundscape that supports early communication and comfort with linguistic diversity.
In the Children’s House, our French-speaking guide interacts in French throughout daily routines, offering natural immersion that allows children to absorb meaning through context and repetition. As they move into Elementary, Spanish is added formally to their learning journey, building on the communication skills developed in their early years. In Middle and High School students select from a wide range of languages, with conversational and tutorial support available wherever possible.
Most of our students are already bilingual or multilingual, but even those who begin with only one language benefit from this stimulating linguistic environment. The entire community, including teachers, students and parents, contributes to a culture of welcome and ease around language, creating a school where being new or from elsewhere is met with curiosity, empathy and genuine connection.
The benefits we see
When children grow in a multilingual environment like EMAS, they develop far more than vocabulary. They become excellent listeners who are comfortable hearing a variety of languages and naturally attuned to patterns, rhythms and meaning. Their communication skills strengthen early, supported by the confidence that comes from switching between languages and understanding nuance in different contexts. This daily exposure nurtures cultural curiosity and empathy, allowing children to recognise that language carries identity, history and social meaning.
Research on multilingualism reinforces this. Cognitive scientist Ellen Bialystok shows that early bilingual exposure improves cognitive flexibility, attention control and problem solving. Linguist Aneta Pavlenko highlights the emotional dimension, explaining that “first languages hold our deepest levels of emotion, memory and meaning.” This echoes what we see every day at EMAS. When a child is addressed in the language of their heart, they feel known, understood and wholly themselves.
Because these experiences occur during the sensitive period for language, when the brain is especially receptive, children at EMAS benefit from early neuroplasticity that makes multilingual learning feel natural and deeply integrated into their understanding of the world.
Why this matters for EMAS and beyond
Because our students are immersed in such a rich linguistic environment, they move through their education with a sense of belonging in multiple worlds. They are not merely learning languages. They are developing identities that can engage, empathise and contribute in a globalised and interconnected world.
Our international team ensures that this treasure of languages becomes a lived resource, not just a statistic. When children hear their home language spoken, when they are free to use it, and when they witness others doing the same, they gain the confidence to communicate authentically, listen deeply and connect meaningfully across cultures.
By celebrating many languages we honour children’s developmental needs, strengthen their cognitive growth and nurture a community where every voice, in every language, matters. At EMAS language is not a barrier. It is a bridge.