image credit: the world within my hands, via flickr

No one has a better imagination than a small child who is just beginning to discover the world around him, and there’s nothing like a young child’s imagination to come up with some of the greatest and most outrageous stories ever told. Playing pretend can be a lot of fun for kids and parents alike, but what you may not know is that your child’s make believe world is actually very important for his language development.

According to the latest research (and just plain old common sense), playing pretend is actually fundamental to a young child’s language development and early literacy skills. Children use language to construct their imaginary worlds, much like they do when telling a story. Children experiment with vocabulary and sentence structures as they expand their imagination, weaving words together in such a way that language and imagination are completely inseparable.

One example of this phenomenon can be seen in the results of a recent study from the University of Manchester’s School of Psychological Sciences, which found children with imaginary friends are quicker to develop language skills. Researchers believe that “by chatting to an imaginary companion a child becomes more practised at using language and constructing conversation, as he or she is carrying out both sides of the interaction.” Of course, the same kind of two way conversation also takes place when a child stages conversation between dolls or stuffed animals. The main idea is that conversation is used in pretend play, and the more your child gabs the faster his language skills will develop.

These storytelling and make believe skills are also important for preparing your child to learn to read. Narrative skills, like being able to describe things and understand stories, are often cited as one of the six early literacy skills your child needs in order to be prepared to learn to read. You can help your child develop this skill in both his languages by providing plenty of opportunities for him to interact with other children (this is where playgroups in the minority language can come in handy for bilingual families), playing make believe with him and exposing him to new and interesting experiences (this is much easier than it sounds, since small children are fascinated by what may seem like the most mundane things to an adult). Reading to and with your child on a daily basis is also an extremely important tool for developing language and early literacy skills. You can even take your child’s favorite stories one step further by pretending you are both characters in the story and coming up new plot twists and endings for a familiar tale. The possibilities are as limitless as your child’s boundless imagination, so have fun exploring new and fabulous worlds together.

image credit: dog intelligence, via flickr

We’ve all heard the old saying that dogs are man’s best friend. But could our furry pets also be a great reading ally for new bilingual readers? A new early literacy campaign sponsored by Target, Purina and the Animal Rescue Foundation has set out to get pets involved in family reading strategies. All Ears Reading is based on the premise that children who are learning to read need to practice in a judgement free environment, and pets make great non-judmental listeners. According to their website, “this philosophy encourages reading by creating a supportive environment for children that fosters an eagerness to read…Creating a special time to read together will help build the bond between children and their pets while growing personal confidence and skill.”

The All Ears Reading website includes pet inspired games, cartoons and printables for kids. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include any information, games or resources in Spanish at this point, but the idea is fairly basic and could be applied to any language combination. Here’s some advice from the experts on calming down an excited dog if you plan on trying this reading strategy with your kids:

• Ask your dog to lie down on the blanket. Use a treat to guide your dog into a down position by holding it to his nose and lowering it to the ground.
• Reward your dog for lying down and being calm with a treat or a belly rub.
• If your dog enjoys chew toys, such as Kongs or Nylabones, give him a yummy treat to keep him occupied.
• If your dog is still excited, begin with short reading sessions so he can practice listening quietly.
• Give your dog lots of praise after you’re finished reading.

Remember that every effort your family makes to develop early literacy skills will be well worth it, so if you think getting your pets involved will help get your child more interested in reading don’t delay!

image credit: Girl with book, via Flickr

There’s been a lot of buzz on the Internet recently about a new study published in the Archive of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, which states that “TV-viewing tends to decrease babies’ likelihood of learning new words, talking, playing and otherwise interacting with others.” To most of us this news comes as no surprise (there’s a reason it’s called a Boob Tube), but it does raise an important issue from a language development perspective since according to this study, “for every hour a television was turned on, babies heard 770 fewer words from an adult…Conversational exchanges between baby and parent dropped 15%, as did the overall number of vocalizations made by children.”

While banning television from your home forever is neither practical nor necessary (thank God), the bottom line is crystal clear: babies learn language best through direct interaction with their parents and other caregivers. This conclusion is even more important for families who are trying to raise their children in more than one language. Of course there are many ways for parents to interact directly with their children, but we at Bilingual Readers believe that one of the most effective ways is through shared parent-child reading.

We were especially impressed by the stark contrast between the above mentioned study and a 2007 study on shared parent-infant book reading by the Infant Toddler Specialists of Indiana, which showed that early parent-child book reading actually supports later language learning. Here are a few tips based on the results of this study, which we hope you’ll enjoy:

• Because shared book reading with infants is related to later language development, it is a good idea to encourage parents to establish reading time with their child as early as four months. This may create a pattern of behavior that holds throughout childhood.
• Being aware of the activity level of the infant is important, to ensure that more active infants (often boys, but sometimes girls) still have exposure to complex vocabulary and opportunities to have joint attention with their reading companions.
• Ways to make sure that an infant benefits from each reading experience include
responding to the infant’s interests, labeling pictures, using a variety of books, and using the infant’s non-verbal and verbal cues to have “conversations.”
• Although the reason why shared reading results in language benefits is not fully
understood, it is important to make time and space for parents to be responsive to their infants. Both the parent and the infant should enjoy each experience!

Happy reading!