The Early Years - Helping Our Children Succeed

After you make a bookmark with your child's name on it, use it when you read
together, and have the child point out words from the story that start with the same
letter or sound as his name. Continue to point out letters from your child's name
whenever you see them in other contexts. This helps your child associate letters and
language and spelling. Once the child has learned a few letters begin using magnetic
letters to show names of family members or simple words like cat or dog. Keep these
on the refrigerator. Continue to add more letters as your child progresses.
Educators often speak of the term genre when speaking of language. Genre
means all the different ways language is used. For example, there is specific
language used for talking on the phone, in conversations with your friends, or when
giving a presentation at work. You do not use the same tone of voice or words when
discussing differences with your boss compared to your partner. Take the time to
teach your children how to speak in different situations. Teach them how to ask for
assistance, example at the grocery store, how to answer the phone and how to speak
to an adult in authority. Teach them that you use language differently for various
purposes. The best learning your child will have is from watching you. So it is
good advice for parents to lead by example.
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