words Alexa Wang
We tend to put all our eggs in one basket by completely relying on the educational system to teach our children everything, and while this is not wrong at all, it certainly doesn’t hurt to pitch in from home as well. You’ll find that you’ll be helping your children learn faster and in a much more efficient way if you do so.
This is why we’ve made a list of some of the things that you can do to help develop their literacy skills.
Use Songs and Rhymes
Regardless of how old your child is, one thing that will always work when it comes to literacy skills are songs and rhymes, and especially nursery rhymes. If you use these timeless songs, you’ll find that not only do your kids find joy in hearing them, but they also learn to memorize as well. This skill is important to foster when it comes to learning words and remembering them. Making rhymes help as well because you’re using words that sound the same. Using music is extremely effective because if a tune appeals to your kids, then they’ll want to hear it over and over again, and they will also eventually learn all the words. This is why it’s such a great idea to teach the alphabet, nursery rhymes, and even work out ways for your older children to study using songs with rhymes.
Enrich their Vocab using Sensory Stimulation
It’s important to cater to all the senses if you want your child to focus on something. Combining visual or physical stimulation goes a long way to help them remember and learn. Many books use different materials such as fir or sandpaper or rigged paper to give different textures to images and this gives a whole new dimension to the experience for the kids as they read- it certainly makes it memorable. The same goes for the visuals- if the images are appealing and attractive, they will always associate a word to it and remember it.
The Way You Read Matters
Thinking of creative and fun ways to read to your children is always going to be a successful idea when it comes to getting them focused. Use different voices, accents, and tones to give the narrative more depth and to make it more intriguing and exciting for them. A story read in a monotone is bound to have them lose interest. You can make a puppet show that tells a story, and you can even dress up like one of the characters in the story as you read any book to your child. The point is to make the narrative something that would grab the child’s attention and have them eager to learn. Once you master this, you’ll find that they will learn much faster.
Play Word Games
There are several options when it comes to word games, and there is always a suitable game for children of any age. Because the fact of the matter is, when it comes to vocabulary, we never truly stop learning. This is why you must implement things like word games from a very early age. Something as simple as memory games where they match two cards that have the same word on it will help them learn faster. Phonetic games are also great for helping them learn how to pronounce words correctly.
Learn a New Word Every Day
Make is a point and a habit for the whole family to learn a new word every day. They have to use it between 5 to 10 times throughout their day. This is a fun way to add to your children’s vocabulary daily, and it’s a much more effective way as well because they challenge themselves to apply the word to different sentences, which forces them to remember and use the word naturally with time.
It’s important that we pay attention and put in an effort when it comes to our children’s literary skill, because time is of the essence in these cases. While the school does make a considerable contribution to their education, the efforts that you put in at home are priceless and go a long way in making a difference. If you follow the tips provided here you’ll be sure to provide your child with a variety of ways to learn from, and you’ll be doing it in the most exciting and fun way possible. Always remember that the sooner you start, the better, and that we never stop learning- so never stop teaching your children!
