All parents can be helpful in their children's literacy development, regardless of their language,

education, or literacy level. Parents who speak little or no English can contribute to their
children's education in valuable ways. English language learners may benefit when they develop
solid literacy skills in their first language before learning to read in a second one. Through
Spanish, they are developing key language and literacy skills that may enable them to become
ecellent readers in English.
!f parents do not speak English, they may feel powerless when it comes to helping their children
with homework. "et parents know that there are a variety of ways they can help#
Direct help
There are probably many ways that parents can offer direct homework help, whether it's
teaching numbers and letters, practicing reading, or helping with pro$ects. %eep parents abreast
of your classroom activities and homework, and point out specific ways that they can help out
from home.
Keep tabs
Parents can keep in touch with teachers to make sure their children are finishing their
homework. They can ask their children if they have any homework and make sure they set aside
enough time to do it.
Provide good work space
"et parents know how important it is for children to have a clean, &uiet work space to read or do
their homework. Even if it is a simple table and chair, children will concentrate better with a
defined place to study.
Find a tutor
!f parents cannot directly help with homework, encourage them to locate a tutor to help their
children and answer any &uestions. 'ften times there are volunteer tutoring programs at local
elementary schools, high schools, libraries, and after(school programs. An aunt, uncle, neighbor,
or older sibling might also be able to help.
)egardless of their language or literacy level, parents can help their children develop a special
collection of books at home. *ere are some tips for parents#
Pick a special place in the house
+esignate an area so that your child knows where to find his or her books. ,uy, make, or clear
off an area for a simple bookshelf. Even a board or cardboard bo will do.
Find quality books
There are a number of ways to build up your home library. An obvious way is to make fre&uent
trips to the public library. -ou can also buy books from bookstores and school book fairs. -ou can
often find books for little cost at used book stores, thrift stores, and garage sales. Another way
to develop a collection is to encourage family members and friends to give books to your children
as presents for birthdays and other occasions.
What Can Parents Do?
Expose your children to people from varied language and English cultural backgrounds.
Participate in events where English language and cultural programs are celebrated.
If you can speak an English language use it with your children.
Speak positively to your children about the value of learning English language.
Provide videos, music, and books in English languages.
Send your children to summer English language camps. For older children, consider
programs in which they can study English languages abroad.
Explore having an exchange student from another country in your home as medium of
communication among them will be English.
Investigate opportunities for formal language study for your children, beginning as early
as preschool and extending through their high school years.
einforce existing English language programs by expressing support for them to local,
state, and national representatives.
If your child is participating in a English language program, talk to the teacher about
what you can do at home to reinforce the learning that takes place in the classroom.
If your child!s school does not have a English language program, talk with other parents,
faculty members, and the principal about getting one started.
Ways to Enhance Your Child's Speaking
Standard English at Home
Parental participation is key to a child's success when learning English as a second
language. Even non-English-speaking parents can enhance their child's English
speaking skills at home. According to ESL teacher's board, children who have
regular eposure to a second language be!ore puberty are more likely to have
better language skills as adults.
Speak
Continue to speak your native language at home with your child. Learning to
discuss ideas and describe eperiences helps a child develop language skills
that will cross over as the child learns to speak English. Some rules are the same
!or multiple languages" such as words are combined to make sentences and
paragraphs and letters make certain sounds.
Children learn best !rom native speakers. #ntroduce other English speakers in the
home with music" instructional $%$s or interactive websites. &nimated !ilms that
allow the user to select a language are ecellent. 'lay it in the child's native
language until she is !amiliar with the story. (hen play it in English.
'lay games with your child. )lder children can enhance their spelling skills with
games that use English words such as *oggle or Scrabble. Younger children can
practice vocabulary and speaking skills by using English while playing +o ,ish or
-emory games.
Read
Encourage your child to read" which can improve his understanding o! English
language" grammar and vocabulary. Have your child read aloud to you in
English. -ake this reading time part o! your daily routine. #t rein!orces your child's
English skills and can be a bonding eperience !or you and your child.
Choose books that are age appropriate. &sk your child's teacher !or book
suggestions. (he teacher will be !amiliar with your child's reading skill level. %isit
the library regularly and allow your child to select books to read.

Write
Label household items with English words to rein!orce vocabulary words learned
in school.
Have children write new vocabulary words ten times to enhance spelling" word
recognition and handwriting.
-ake a personal dictionary !or your child with a blank notebook. 'ut a letter o!
the alphabet on top o! each page" starting with .&.. Have your child write new
words learned at school on the appropriate page. &sk your child to make
illustrations !or each new word or use it in a sentence.
/ead more0 Ways to Enhance Your Child's Speaking Standard English at Home |
eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list!"#$%&$ways'speaking'standard'english'
home.html(i)**$yp+,-*./
Promote Speech and Language Skills in Your
Child
The communication skills of a newbon are astonishing. !n fact, speech and
language development visibly occurs immediately after birth. .oments after
the birth of my daughter, ! looked into her eyes and said /0elcome,
)ebekah. 0e have all been waiting for you./ Then, through body language,
she communicated back to me. Searching with her little mouth she instantly
and non(verbally epressed that she was hungry. As she began to nurse, !
knew that we had begun to communicate.
)esearch in Speech and *earing Sciences recogni1es the communication
skills of newborns and even the developing fetus during the last trimester of
pregnancy. 2onetheless, parents tend to concentrate on the physical growth
of their young child as he or she develops. 0hile physical development is
very important, communication skills are e&ually important. !n fact, these
two areas of development are interdependent for a healthy child.
The following are ten ways you can nurture the five different areas of speech
and language development in typically developing infants and toddlers.
Social "anguage
34 Eye contact. 0hen communicating with your child, look at his or her face
and eyes as often as possible. This helps your child learn that it is
appropriate to look at people during communication. 5hildren learn a lot
about you through facial epressions and ac&uire articulation skills by
watching the movement of your mouth.
64 Taking turns. Talk to your child and then pause to give them a moment to
verbali1e. This teaches them the art of turn taking. This skill can also be
accomplished during play, using ob$ects and toys.
Expressive Language
74 8ive your child space. 0hen your child is trying to communicate with you
and you know what they want, give them a few seconds before you instantly
meet their needs. This will give them the opportunity to vocali1e 9coo and
babble4, point, or attempt a word.
:4 8ive your child choices and then let them epress their choice by
pointing, vocali1ing, or attempting words. The feelings of confidence a child
gains by epressing their own choice are building blocks for further
eploration of epressive language.
Receptive Language
;4 8et your child to follow instructions. Start with simple re&uests that only
involve one element, such as /smile/ or /kiss./ Then increase to two
elements when one element becomes easy for your child 9i.e. /*and up,/ or
/Touch your nose,/ and so on4.
<4 )ead simple books to your child with one or two pictures on each page.
Ask them &uestions that can be answered verbally or by pointing to the
correct picture. Try not to put too much pressure on them. !f your child does
not respond after about 3= or 3; seconds, model the answer for them with a
positive tone of voice.
Vocabulary Developent
>4 )einforce and demonstrate. !f your child produces a verbal attempt that
resembles a word, praise them with a pleasant tone of voice and then model
the word that you think they attempted. ?or eample, if the child says /ba/
for ball, say /-ou said ball. -es, it is a ball@/
Eplore. There are wonderful opportunities to model vocabulary out in the
community. A simple trip to the market can be a great chance to name items
for your child.
!rticulation
A4 'bserve how often other people understand your child's speech. This will
give you an idea of how clear his or her articulation really is 9parents usually
understand their children more than an outside listener4. +on't worry if your
toddler is not producing all the sounds in the English language. .any sounds
may not develop until four years of age or later. *owever, you should
consider consulting a speech pathologist if it is etremely hard to understand
your child's speech at 7 years of age.
3=4 Articulate your words clearly when you communicate withh your child.
Speak slowly and remember to look directly at your child's face.
0hile speech and language development varies with each child, there is no
&uestion that positive daily involvement from a parent andBor a loving
caregiver makes the process much smoother. -ou, the parent, are the /super
model/ for your child's speech and language development. Taking time to
put these tips into action can give you a thoughtful approach as you interact
with your ama1ing little communicator.
Introduction
?or the most part, it is parents who teach their young children to speak their home language.
Throughout the first two years of life, it is often the motherCs voice and her special way of talking,
called DparenteseC, that teaches young children about language and how to talk.
Parents, even with a basic knowledge of English, can successfully support their young child learning
English by re(using and ad$usting many of these same parentese techni&ues.
Parents may worry about their accent in English. -oung children have a remarkable ability to alter
their accent to match the English of their surroundings. -oung children need to feel D! can speak
EnglishC and D! like EnglishC and their parentsC support can help them achieve this from their first
lessons.
)ead the notes below on speaking English at home. -ou can also download these notes as a booklet.
)ight(click on the link below to download the booklet to your computer. -ou may print this booklet.
Why parents help is best
0arents can 1ocus on their child2 spending some one'to'one time with them.
0arents can 3t English sessions into any part o1 their day to suit their child and themsel+es.
0arents can regulate the length o1 an English session and select acti+ities to 3t their child4s
needs2 interests and a5ility to concentrate.
0arents know their child intimately and can intuiti+ely 6udge the type o1 English talking suita5le
1or their indi+idual ways o1 picking up language.
0arents can 5est interpret their child4s moods and respond to them. Children ha+e days when
they eagerly a5sor5 language and others when they 3nd it di7cult to concentrate.
0arents can introduce more 1un2 as they are working with an indi+idual2 not a class.
0arents can introduce English culture into 1amily li1e2 so 5roadening their child4s outlook and
understanding o1 their own culture as well as things English.
What is parentese language?
DParenteseC is a form of talking that tunes into and ad$usts to a young childCs language, providing
dialogue with the child and shepherding them to their net level of competence. 0omen appear to be
innate users of parenteseE some men seem to find it more difficult unless they can centre their talk
around specific ob$ects F a picture book or a game. *owever, children F especially boys F need male
role models as men use language differently. .en tend to take a more technical approach to using
language and DchatterC less.
Parents, using a softer, caring voice and simpler language, unconsciously shepherd their young child
through an activity by#
a running commentary 8talking aloud9 on what is going on: :/et4s put it here.4 :-here.4 :/ook.
;4+e put it on the ta5le.4 :Which one do you like<4 =pause> :?h2 ; like this one.4 :-he red one4
repeating use1ul language more o1ten than in adult talk: repetition introduced naturally helps
the child to con3rm what they are picking up @ it is not 5oring 1or the child2 e+en i1 it is 1or the parent
reAecting 5ack what their child has said and enlarging it: Child: :Yellow4B 0arent: :You like the
yellow one.4 :Here it is.4 :Here4s the yellow one.4 :/et4s see. yellow2 red and here4s the 5rown one.4 :; like
the 5rown one2 do you<4 =pause>
talking more slowly and stressing new words naturally without altering the melody o1 the
language. :Which rhyme shall we say today<4 : You choose.4 =pause 1or child to select>
using the same phrases each time to manage English sessions as well as acti+ities and games.
Cs children4s understanding increases2 these 5asic phrases are enlarged: :/et4s play Simon says.4
:Stand there.4 :;n 1ront o1 me.4 :-hat4s right.4 :Cre you ready<4
adding 1acial e)pression and gesture to aid understanding
using eye contact in one'to'one e)changes to reassure and also to encourage a hesitant child
to speak
pausing 1or a longer time as children need to think a5out what they hear 5e1ore they are ready
to reply. When speaking is still limited2 e)aggerated pauses can add 1un or hold interest in a game.
Some parents find it embarrassing to dramatise and use parentese. *owever, for the child, it makes
picking up English easier as they are familiar with these natural Dmini(lessonsC in their home language.
'nce young children begin to speak, parents innately feel less need to use parentese, ecept when
introducing new language or activities.
Using English
,y using simple English with plenty of repetition, parents help their child to begin thinking in English
during activities where they feel secure and can predict what is going to happen, like games or Drhyme
timesC.
-oung children want to be able to talk in English about#
G themselves and what they like# D! likeE ! donCt likeH yukC
G what they have done# D! went toE ! sawHE ! ateHC
G how they and others feel# D! am sadE sheCs cross HC
Parents can help by sharing picture books or making their own books using drawings or photographs.
-oung children learning their home language become skilled in transferring a little language to many
situations# DAll gone.C !f adults transfer English phrases in the same way, young children soon copy
them.
0hen children need to practise school English, use phrases like D0hatCs your nameIC D*ow old are
youIC D0hatCs thisIC DThatCs a pencil.C Parents can turn this into a fun activity by using a toy that speaks
only English, asking it the &uestions and pretending to make it answer.
As young children become more competent speakers, they may include a word in their home language
within an English phrase D*eCs eating a 9H4C because they do not yet know the English word. !f the
adult repeats the phrase back using only English, the child can pick up the English word. D*eCs eating a
plum.C DA plum.C
When to translate
-oung childrenCs ability to understand should not be underestimatedE they understand much more
than they can say in English. !n their home language young children are used to understanding only
some of the words they hear and filling in the rest from the speakerCs body language and clues around
them to get meaning. 0here parentese is used, they appear to transfer these skills to working out the
meaning in English.
0hen both new concepts and new language are introduced at the same time, it may be necessary to
give a &uick translation once, using a whisper, followed directly by the English. !f translation is given
more than once and again in following sessions, a child may get used to waiting for the translation
instead of using his or her own clues to understand the English.
English sessions
English sessions may last from $ust a few minutes up to about ten and can take place once or twice a
day, depending on circumstances. The more fre&uently Englishis used, the &uicker it is absorbed.
+uring English sessions parents need to focus on their child without any interruptions. -oung children
come to love English sessions, because for them English is a special time with their parentCs undivided
attention.
-oung children are logical thinkers# they need to have a reason for speaking English, since both they
and their parents can speak the home language.
They may find it difficult to switch from their home language into English, so it is important to set the
scene# D!n three minutes we are goingto have our English time.C Setting the scene for English time
might involve moving to a special place in the room# D"etCs sit on the sofa. 2ow, letCs talk in English.C
0arming up in English by counting or saying a familiar rhyme also helps to switch into English before
introducing some new activity.
5hildren pick up language when the talk is based around an activity in which they are physically
involved. !f they have already been introduced to the activity in their home language and understood
the content, they feel more secure and can concentrate on understanding and picking up the
accompanying English.
0here sessions are in only English, activities need to be shorter since childrenCs attention span is
generally not as long as in the home language. "istening only to English can be tiring.
Encouragement and praise
-oung children look for their parentsC praise. They need to feel good, and know they are making
progress in English. 5ontinuous positive support, encouragement and praise from both mother and
father, as well as the etended family, helps to build up self(confidence and motivate. !n the early
stages of learning, encouragement is especially important and praise for any small success motivates.
DThatCs good.C D! like that.C D0ell done@C
Starting off in English is the time when young children need parentsC support the most. 'nce they are
able to speak, recite rhymes and have memorised some stories, the support need no longer be so
intensive. ,y this stage, English phrases, rhymes and stories are likely to have been playfully
transferred into family life. !n(family English can be bonding and is likely to stay. This can be the
beginning of positive lifelong attitudes to English and other cultures. !t is now generally accepted that
lifelong attitudes are laid down in early childhood before the age of eight or nine
Home en+ironment as ma6or source o1 English language acDuisition
Key principle
Eilingualism is an asset2 and the 3rst language has a continuing and signi3cant role in
identity2 learning and the acDuisition o1 additional languages.
;t is widely accepted that 5ilingualism con1ers intellectual ad+antages and the role o1 the
3rst language in the child4s learning is o1 great importance. Children need to de+elop strong
1oundations in the language that is dominant in the home en+ironment2 where most children
spend most o1 their time. Home language skills are trans1era5le to new languages and
strengthen children4s understanding o1 language use.
Fe+eloping and maintaining a home language as the 1oundation 1or knowledge a5out
language will support the de+elopment o1 English and should 5e encouraged. ;nsistence on
an English'only approach to language learning in the home is likely to result in a 1ragmented
de+elopment where the child is denied the opportunity to de+elop pro3ciency in either
language. -he 5est outcome is 1or children and their 1amilies to ha+e the opportunity to
5ecome truly 5ilingual with all the ad+antages this can 5ring.
Home languages are also +ital 1or maintaining positi+e 1amily connections. ;t is there1ore
+ery important to maintain the language o1 the home2 particularly where older 1amily
mem5ers who care 1or children do not speak English. ?therwise this may mean that
e+entually they are no longer a5le to ha+e proper meaning1ul con+ersations with each other.
0arents who cannot share thoughts and ideas with their children will ine+ita5ly lose the
a5ility to shape2 guide and inAuence their li+es. Situations where this has happened ha+e
5een documented2 and shown to ha+e negati+e social outcomes 1or communities 5ecause
children ha+e lacked the guiding hand o1 their elders.
0ractitioners ha+e a key role in reassuring parents that maintaining and de+eloping their
home language will 5ene3t their children and support their de+eloping skills in English.