Child Language Skills: The Importance of Learning Language Skills

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Hi,
Wendy Vo is a highly accomplished young person, because she can easily speak 11 different languages, like Vietnamese (her mother tongue), English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, Japanese, Hindi, Arabic, Russian, Cantonese and Portuguese. Apart from linguistic abilities, she can also write and compose her own music. In fact, it is simply amazing to see a young person performing so many unbelievable feats at the same time!

Language and speech are possibly the most critical and vital tools for human survival. Not only are they the means of communicating your thoughts, ideas and feelings, they can also help you create friendship with other people, set up cultural ties across regions and religions, and help perform better both in personal and professional life.

In the case of our children, those who can talk, listen, comprehend, read and write in a better manner can do better in their classrooms. In fact, babies are born enabled to learn and speak languages. They are also very adept at doing so! But, the ability to learn and master a particular language depends on many other parameters and issues; customs, traditions, local societal influence and other factors may play a major role.

Our children have many ways and methods to communicate with others, which include different sounds, body gestures, facial expressions, and dynamic body language. However, when they start to learn and speak language, they can easily communicate with us, teachers and other care givers in an effective manner. A good set of language skills may go hand in hand with their ability to think and act in a logical and rational manner. Parents have an important role in assisting their children in developing and mastering verbal and spoken language skills. This will eventually help them to lay a firm foundation over which they can develop writing and reading skills.

How do we make our children learn and master a particular language? What are the basic rules that help our children to become master communicators? In fact, the basic rules for “communicating in schools” have really changed in the recent time! As parents, all of us want our children to develop abilities to use language skills to perform more than just answering some basic questions or cough up some information through their mouths! Good language and communication skills mean developing an ability to describe, express, explain, repeat, predict, interpret and plan things or scenarios in an effective manner. Here comes a great challenge to all parents - how can they help their children develop good language and communication skills? This issue of newsletter comes to you with many practical tips and suggestions on how parents can assist their children to learn and master language skills. By helping your children to speak and communicate well, you are also nurturing their inter-personal, academic and social skills. All the best!

Thought for today:
"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." - Acharya Rajaneesh

Best Regards,
Andrew Loh
Andrew Loh
Publisher & Editor, BrainyZine
andrew @ brainy-child.com

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The Importance of Learning Language Skills - Part I
Language is a medium of communication that helps your children interact with you, their friends and teachers. Without proper language skills, it may become difficult for them to succeed in their life. Parents must ensure that their children learn basic language skills very early in their life.

The Importance of Learning Language Skills - Part II
Children are capable of learning basic or rudimentary language skills very early in their life. Learning verbal and non-verbal language is a natural act that comes to them over time with help of their parents, friends and teachers. However, parents have a sacred duty to empower their children with the most basic language and communication skills.

Beyond Baby Talk: From Sounds to Sentences, a Parent's Complete Guide to Language Development
By Kenn Phd Apel and Julie Phd Masterson

The goal of the authors is to inform parents about: how children (birth to age five) develop language, the factors that influence language development, and possible causes of language problems. They also hope to show how miraculous language development is and how important a role parent’s play.

The book is not intended as a reference for parents of children with language development problems. The basic message of this book is that language is developed, not taught. That is, parents and caregivers should rely on everyday interactions with their children, not lesson plans and flash cards, in developing a child's language skills. Parents should follow the child's lead in play and conversation; provide age-appropriate models of language, and show respect and understanding for what the child says.

The Child Language Reader
By Kate Trott

The Child Language Reader is the essential guide for students of child language acquisition and development. Focusing on the important contemporary issues and debates in the field, the book draws together key articles and places them within their thematic and social contexts.

Packed with editorial material to help students to navigate the diverse practical and theoretical strands of child language, it also offers clear explanations of essential terminology and concepts. Features include: a general introduction exploring and explaining current issues and debates, organization into eight thematic sections, each with an editor's introduction, a comprehensive bibliography and suggestions for further reading.

Forget fish oil and Sudoku - it's exercise that makes you brainier
Mail Online Jan 19, 2009

Regular exercise isn't just good for your body - there is now much evidence to show it can also dramatically improve your brain, boosting learning capabilities, reducing stress, smoothing hormonal fluctuations and reversing the signs of ageing.

HOME-SCHOOLING: Talking, touching vital to learning
The Washington Times Jan 18, 2009

Loving parenting is the best brain development tool you can choose to help your child at any age. If you want your children to be smart, successful and well-adjusted human beings, be their first and best teacher. You won't regret it.

Sweet dreams
Holland Sentinel Jan 13, 2009

Everyone admires the sweet innocence and soft beauty of a sleeping child, and it turns out that the sweetness of sleep carries into waking hours too. Children who have not had sufficient sleep tend to be fussier, more hyperactive, and exhibit a shorter attention span. They are also more vulnerable to illness.

5 Reasons to Consider A Multivitamin Supplement
Little Stomaks Jan 12, 2009

I have heard a variety of opinions from Moms through my Global Toddlers survey on the topic of nutritional supplements. Some are using them for their toddlers, while others are skeptical about their effectiveness. Personally, we have not used any multivitamin supplements for our twins so far, but we also think about it sometimes.

Teacher says learning to communicate with infants is a good sign
Loveland Reporter-Herald Jan 11, 2009

For new parents with babies, there’s a better way to stop that fit than coddling the tantrum away, a Fort Collins sign language specialist says. At a baby sign language class at Loveland’s Orchards Baptist Church on Saturday, teacher Deanne Seitz told a crowd of 40 to 50 parents that sign language can bridge the communication gap between infants and parents.

Ten Things Every Child Needs
EDH Telegraph Jan 07, 2009

Research shows that starting from birth; we can dramatically improve our children's early brain development and ability to learn by meeting these ten essential needs: INTERACTION, TOUCH, STABLE RELATIONSHIPS, SAFE & HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS, SELF-ESTEEM, QUALITY CARE, PLAY, COMMUNICATION, MUSIC, and READING.

Baby TV time slows development: Research
Can West News Jan 13, 2009

Far from providing the brain-boosting advantages promised by specialized programs aimed at the youngest viewers, TV time for children under two does more harm than good, according to a newly published review of international research.

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