It is said that children are amazing at acquiring their first language (L1); by the time they reach school age, they are using complex grammar and demonstrating a wide vocabulary. Even more impressive, these young learners might show up at school with two languages in their toolbox or add a second language (L2) with far less effort than older children and certainly their adult counterparts. The differences in learning between children and adults are frequently used to promote the general assumption that, when it comes to language learning, younger is always better. As this research brief shows, the facts are more complicated. Moreover, some research suggests that there are benefits to learning languages beyond developing language proficiency.