A child writing Sanskrit at Ficino School. Photo: Supplied
More than 150 students at Ficino School in central Auckland are delving into one of the world's oldest languages - Sanskrit.
"It's a very beautiful language," says Emilie Preston, a language instructor at the school.
She says the parent institution of Ficino School in London conducted some research into languages that are beneficial for children. It concluded that Sanskrit, for a number of reasons, would be the best choice.
"Each letter in Sanskrit has a sound and it will always be the same," Preston says. "The beauty of that is (that) it teaches the children to enunciate properly."
Emilie Preston is a language instructor at Ficino School. Photo: Supplied
World Sanskrit Day is celebrated annually on 31 August.
Preston accentuates the cognitive benefits of learning a distinct script such as Sanskrit, which stimulates the children's cerebral development.
"From the moment they come to Ficino, their learning starts," she says. "Our youngest student is 5 years old."
Preston says they start with learning the sound.
"The sounds themselves are beautiful and the children pick those up so beautifully," she says.
Manesh Patel and his partner, Vandana, have two children enrolled at Ficino School who are engrossed in mastering the language.
Twelve-year-old Mehir adeptly reads and writes Sanskrit, while his 9-year-old brother, Priyesh, is in the process of acquiring writing skills.
"He loves learning it," Patel says proudly. "Sanskrit is his favourite subject."
Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages in the world, is being taught to more than 150 students at Ficino School in central Auckland. Photo: Supplied
Patel says schools should teach more languages to children.
"I used to speak fluent German when I was growing up," he says. "If I had Mandarin or Cantonese, I would've taken it, but we never had those options."
Patel believes that acquiring multiple languages not only helps us when they travel but also nurtures cognitive development if initiated early.
Patel's children enjoy an added advantage.
"My father is also well-versed in reading and writing Sanskrit and has been doing it for the past 25 years," Patel says.
Patel's father, Natu, relocated to New Zealand in the 1960s and acquired proficiency in the language in New Zealand.
Patel says that his children's engagement with Sanskrit serves as motivation for him and his partner.
"It makes us want to learn more languages," he says. "I'm trying to improve my Gujarati now."