Month: September 2024

by Nancy Sivilai How Language Develops   Language begins early in life, a baby will pick up the sounds of people in his immediate family and community.  By six months old,  a baby will usually imitate speech intonations, so it sounds as if baby is saying something understandable.  During  the first year most babies have picked up the  most significant language sounds  in their environment.  A baby in Germany will pick up the language sounds of the German language,  a baby in Mexico the language sounds of the Mexican language,  A Thai baby the Thai sounds.    As soon as this ability is acquired they will begin to string them together to make words.   Once they can speak, children will put the words together to match the grammatical rules of their language. They will be motivated to increase their vocabulary and will ask the name of things.  By the time they are in preschool, most children are able to speak their native language.  They did not learn by being drilled in sounds and grammar.  They learned by being immersed in their native language.  By hearing and using language in their home environment. As a parent, it is important to speak to your child in the language you want to him/her to develop.  Many opportunities to learn language happen daily, as you guide your child to eat, dress, wash up, pick up toys or play games.  Childhood is a time when language can be developed quickly and fluently.  I would encourage  development of more than one language as you child will be smarter because the brain is having to make more connections.  Children who are fluent in their mother tongue will most likely  be fluent in the next language.   Reading It used to be accepted that oral language development  came before written language development However, learning to read and talk happens at the same time.  Babies begin to read as sound books and print become a part of their lives. We do not leave children alone to learn to read, we give them assistance just like when they learned to talk.  In developing reading, we model phonic sounds and participate in oral  interactions at the child’s current level ability.   Young children work hard to identify letters.  Children develop reading skills in English as they learn phonics through fun interactive  reading and writing activities.  Children will learn phonics from songs and stories and rhymes which are meaningful to them.  They learn the names and sounds of letters in their own names and other words that are important to them.  Using phonics is one of several necessary reading skills.  Children who are read to at home learn phonics faster.  Reading activities should include story time with  age appropriate books.   Learning to read and learning to write are inseparable.  That is our goal for each child to speak, read and write.  As a parent, take time to read to your child and with your child.  Your child will be learning phonics and doing guided reading at school.  As a parent you can support your child by taking time to review alphabets in their environment in signs, books, boxes, etc and maintain a reading habit with your child as it best works in your family schedule.   May you enjoy watching your child’s language and literacy development as you read, sing songs, play and have fun with your child.

Whether you are going to a new school or returning to your old school chances are you will have a new teacher each year. Children and families build strong relationships with their teachers over the period of a school year and there is often a sense of need or want to stay with that teacher or keep everything the same as it was last year. However, as in real life, we need to prepare and support young children to be able to learn from  and work with different personalities. Here are some tips on starting the school year with a new teacher. Every teacher is different. As with many professions, there are of course stereotypes but not every teacher looks and sounds the same!  Every teacher is different so don’t go in with an expectation or you may be disappointed. Also do not expect that this teacher is going to do  all the same things or everything the same way the previous teacher did. New teachers are good for your child.  Your child will have a range of different teachers throughout their learning journey and they will all have different teaching styles and approaches. This is great for your child as they will find out what works for them and it also helps to keep their learning fresh. The common theme with all of your child’s teachers is that they will all want what is best for your child. Try to trust in their knowledge and work together to support your child.  Assume positive intentions.  If you question or disagree with a teacher’s decision or judgement, approach the teacher with the understanding that they almost always make decisions based upon what they believe is best for your child. Remarkably, your child’s teacher almost certainly loves your child, especially in early years where teachers spend  all day long with their students. You can disagree with a teacher’s decision, of course, but always approach the situation with patience, grace, and a willingness to listen. Talk to your teacher. If at any time you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s learning or development the best person to talk to is your child’s teacher. Keep in mind that drop off and pick up times are best reserved for general and short conversations. Anything sensitive or of concern should be discussed in private and at  a time your teacher is not busy engaging with all the other families of the class. Send your teacher a message or ask the school office to help set up a private meeting to be held outside of teaching hours. Getting settled into the new school year and building a relationship with the new teacher doesn’t happen overnight. It may take several weeks, a month or longer  for this to happen so be patient and supportive through the process.  And remember – early years teachers are a special breed – they become teachers because they love children and are committed to providing the best education and care for them.