You Can Read to Your Child in Any Language
For very good reasons, reading is usually first on a parent's list of educational goals and concerns for their children. Parents are well aware of how crucial reading is to further learning and that fostering a love for reading will open up a world of enjoyment and education.
Numerous researchers have found early reading to be at the heart of future academic success. In fact, even the simple fact of having books around can be connected to greater achievement; the presence of many books in one's home is statistically a better indicator of future academic success than parental occupation, education or wealth. According to one Princeton University study, "scholarly culture, as indicated by home library size… gives children a significant, and generally substantial, edge in academic performance… Having a large home library is important on its own."
So it stands to reason that incorporating reading as a vital part of learning a second language can also bring considerable benefits down the road for your child. The same benefits which children get from learning to read in their first language are just as available—and just as important—in a second language.
Fortunately, parents can be of considerable help to their children in realising these benefits in a second language. And they can do so using the same methods and much of the same advice that has worked for so many parents helping their child read in his first language.
Not only that, but parents are also quite able to help their children even if their own foreign language skills are rusty or modest. You can do many things that will help your child learn and grow in their new language, and they're probably things that you're already doing—or have already done—in introducing their first language. With a bit of adaptation and imagination, you and your child can begin exploring the literature of another language. Continue Reading.
Sincerely,
Katie Lagana
Early Advantage |