Language Fun for Children
November 16th, 2011 
Carol 
Of all the influences on children, language experiences are the ones that are most correlated with academic achievement. High quality language just about equates to school success. Excellent information. Now, what to do?
Read, sing, and talk to your child as much as you can. It’s as easy as RST! Before life got so complicated with every different kind of schedule to honor and every different kind of distraction to take place all day long and every day, parents, grandparents, and other loving extended members of the family were always available to do with children what came naturally–read, sing, and talk to them. That was it, nothing more magical or mysterious than sharing a day with children filled with loving play, happy times, and a world of creativity.
While the world of yesteryear is gone, the incredible world of today is here. We have the excitement and challenge of figuring out how to provide the old kind of child input in our new and modern way. Awesome! Enjoy! Here are some fun ideas. You probably have you favorites.
* When you are reading to your child, point to words as you read them. In that way you are helping your child connect the spoken word with its written form.
* When your child is reading to you, share the activity. Children love it when you say something like “I’ll read the left-hand pages; you read the right.”
* Have fun with traffic signs like STOP and ONE WAY and even harder ones like when your child is ready. Before long your child will be pointing out STOP, ONE WAY, and other signs to you.
* Make a name puzzle for your child out of index cards, one letter per card. Mix up the cards and have fun with your child putting the letters back in order. Older children will love it when you add middle and last names too.
* Once your child can easily lay out the letters in his or her own name, you can use those same letter cards to make up all kinds of different games. Picking one letter at a time, you can take turns thinking up words that begin with that letter. You can match them to items in the room that start with the letter. You can make a complete second set of letters for your child’s name and then have fun playing the age-old game of “Concentration.”
* Look for your favorite version of an alphabet chart. When your child sings the alphabet song, suggest pointing to each letter that he or she sings. After you warm up with that song, take turns singing other childhood songs. Performing for each other in this simple way is great for singing practice, self-esteem, and memory. You can write out the words to any song for extra reading, speaking, and singing practice.
Sally Goldberg, Ph.D. was the first parenting expert on “Parent to Parent,” a FOX TV Channel 7 weekly news segment. A professor of education, parenting book author, and prolific magazine writer, Dr. Sally has been published often in a multitude of magazines that include Parent’s Magazine, American Baby, and Consumer Reports. Having had regular columns in Florida Wise, Florida Baby, Today’s Parent, and Viewpointe, she is now turning her time and attention to Parenting Tips with Dr. Sally.
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