Learning to speak made easy A guide for parentsTips: EB_alle 04.04.2006 21:06 Uhr Seite 6. 7 By the...

Language – the gateway to the world

Learning to speak made easy

A guide for parents

englischReferat SOZIALES · JUGEND · GESUNDHEIT

EB_alle 04.04.2006 21:06 Uhr Seite U1

Referat SOZIALES · JUGEND · GESUNDHEIT


1Referat SOZIALES · JUGEND · GESUNDHEITReferat SOZIALES · JUGEND · GESUNDHEIT

Language – the gateway to the worldLearning to speak made easy

A guide for parents

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Why is my child asking so many questions?

Why is play important for learning to speak?

Why does my child always want to touch everything?

Does watching television help my child learn to speak?

How much time should I spend with my child?

How is learning to speak connected to physical activity?

What language should I use when I speak with my child at home?

Does my child learn enough German at the day care centre?

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3Referat SOZIALES · JUGEND · GESUNDHEIT

Gabriele Müller-Trimbusch Bruno PfeifleMayor Head of the Jugendamt

Dear Parents,

it is one of the happiest moments for parents to hear their child speak his or her first “real”word, and I am sure you felt exactly the same way. I am sure that, like all other parents, youthen followed all of your child’s further attempts at speaking with fascination, dedication and,of course, a feeling of pride.After all, all children are born with the ability to perceive the sounds and language patternsthey pick up in their environment and, later on, to recognise, imitate and apply the rules oftheir mother tongue. Speech and language are, after all, an important instrument when it comes to exploring the world around us.

Sometimes you may have been surprised by the unusual language your child uses, whereas atother times you may have noticed that your child is imitating your way of speaking or emphasisor that of other people he or she relates to. In any case, children between the ages of one andfour need a lot of attention and affection from their parents and the people around them, andthey also need adults who like to talk.

We have developed this guide in order to help you support your children in their speech andlanguage development, including in particular information for parents of children growing upbilingually. It will provide you with theoretical and practical information on how to accompanyand support your child throughout this unique and exciting process.

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Time spent with your child is never wasted.


Make a plan: decide when youwant to have time for yourselfand when you have time tofully give your attention toyour child. Daily routines offerexcellent opportunities to beclose to your child and to showyour affection.Time spent with your childis never wasted.Make sure your child gets plen-ty of opportunities to speak, al-so involve him or her in conver-sations with siblings andadults.

How much time should I spend with my child?Naturally, you should always spend as muchtime with your child as possible.

Talking will be easier when youdo things together with yourchild, e.g. eating, baking, coo-king, doing the dishes,cleaning, going shopping,going for a walk, taking thetram, driving in your car, wat-ching television, tucking yourchild in at night, etc.

It is even more important, ho-wever, how dedicated you arewhen spending time with yourchild and how much attentionyou can give him or her.

Tips:

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Experts on the subject:

Children always need to feelsure of their parents’ affection.They need to feel that they areloved.

It will give them the securitythey need in order to develop astrong self-confidence.

Children’s self-confidence im-proves when they feel thatthey are being taken seriously.Every day provides you with


Children need to feel that they are loved.

plenty of opportunities to in-volve your child in a conversati-on.

However, children also have tolearn that there are occasionswhen they must not disturbyou, e.g. when you are on thetelephone or working fromhome. They have to learn thatthere are situations which de-mand for peace and quiet.

When children learn to speak, what they need mostof all is the love and attention of their parents.

It is always an achievementfor your child when he orshe learns something new. You should always show yourapproval and respect for his orher achievements.If you happen to have no time,tell your child that you haven’tgot time at the moment andexplain to him or her why youcannot listen at the moment.Your child will understand. Atthe same time, however, yourchild needs to know when heor she can expect to have yourattention back. Children do notlike being put off indefinitely, itmakes them feel insecure. Make sure you keep yourpromises!

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6 Referat SOZIALES · JUGEND · GESUNDHEIT

My child is asking hundreds of questions. What should I do?

Asking many questions is partof certain stages of your child’sdevelopment. It is your child’sway of exploring the world,while at the same time it is im-portant for learning newwords. Questions are essentialfor speech and language deve-lopment!

When looking for answers,work together with your child.You may, for instance, ask ol-der children or adults.

Answer in short and simple sentences.

You should ask questions, too,such as “How could we findthat out?” or “Who else couldwe ask?” Very often picturebooks help answer questionsand prompt conversations.

Small children soon find out that they can explore the world around them by

asking questions. As soon as they ⁄discover something new, they will ask,

“What’s that?”

Simple answers will do! Don’t be afraid to admit thatthere are some things you do not know.

Tips:

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By the age of around two orthree children discover that it ispossible to explore the worldaround them by asking questi-ons. As soon as they discoversomething new, they ask,“What’s that?” The child reali-ses that every thing has its ownname. This is an important ti-me in a child’s life which pro-foundly shapes their curiosityand eagerness to discover theworld.


Around the age of three orfour children enter into the se-cond phase of asking questi-ons. Now your child wants toknow why things are the waythey are. Your child will askyou about the names of thingsthat he or she doesn’t know. Indoing so, your child learns themeaning behind terms and im-proves his or her vocabulary.

Ask the carer at your day carecentre for suitable literature orpay a visit to your local library.You may also find good buyson high quality books for chil-dren at car boot sales or ba-zaars.In this phase childrenwant to know everything in de-tail. Sometimes, this can bevery tiring for adults. If you gettired of your child asking toomany questions, simply turnthe tables and start askingquestions yourself, like e.g. “What do you mean...?”

Around the age of three or four yourchild enters into the second phase ofasking questions

Children learn by exploring the world around them.


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Why does my child always want to touch everything?

It is not enough to simply repe-at a new word to your child.Example: In order to learn theword “orange” your childneeds to touch an orange,smell it, and taste its sweetjuice.

Children literally want to “grasp” things, to understandthem by touching them. By doing that, children learn new words and, at the same time, put them into context.

• when baking or cooking: If your child helps you bakeor cook, he or she will learn a lot about the attributes of the ingredients.

• when playing with water, sand, pebbles, soap or Plasticine.

Give your child plenty of opportunities to “grasp”things, e.g.

• Materials such as cardboard, cork, paper rolls, etc. are also interesting toys for your child.

• Don’t make a fuss over dirty clothes. Allow your children to get dirty when they’re exploring.

Give your child plenty of opportunities to “grasp” things,

e.g. playing with water.

Tips:

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Children don’t just learn by li-stening. They will rememberwords better when they havediscovered them using theirdifferent senses.

Children have to see things, totouch and feel them, smellthem and taste them.

Make sure your child disco-vers and uses all its senses.Draw your child’s attention tothings he or she can see, hear,smell, taste or touch, by sayingthings like, “Your hat is reallysoft, have a feel!”, or “Listen,can you hear that lovely mu-sic?”

Don’t make a fuss over dirty clothes.

“Picking up things and grasping them” – Children learnnew words by observing and exploring things at play.


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Why is play important for learning to speak?

Playing together gives childrenthe opportunity to talk to otherchildren. They negotiate the rules oftheir games or assign roles.That way children are able todetermine or understand theircurrent role and situation.

Children talk when they are playing, even whenthey are playing alone. They can practice words and terms they have picked up.

Children like to play “house”.Such games may get noisy so-metimes, especially when it co-mes to assigning the roles offather, mother, and children.Let them go ahead.

Children love to dress up fortheir role plays. Old hats, scar-ves, shoes, cloths, clothes, andany other hotchpotch youmight find can come in usefulfor such games.

Children learn to speak playfully.

Household items such as pots,cartons, mugs or clothes pinsare also popular toys.

Blankets and sheets are idealfor building caves and hide-outs.

Children also love to play withwooden building blocks, Legoor Playmobil.

Tips:

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Playful observation, explorationand investigation promote thedevelopment of new skills.

Play improves your child’s passi-ve and active language skillsand vocabulary.

When children invent and thinkup things for themselves, it in-spires their imagination andencourages them to speak.

Roleplays may get noisy! Let them go ahead.

Playing is immensely important for children. For the chil-dren themselves it is a serious and important business.

Every child should have a toybox at home containing suchtoys.

Children also like to do jigsawsand play board games or cardswith you. Through card gamessuch as “UNO” your child willlearn the numbers as you play.

A toy cupboard or shelfwhere toys and board ga-mes are stored is just as im-portant for your children asa wardrobe.


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Does watching television help my child learn to speak?

Watching television or havingthe television on in the back-ground during meals puts amajor strain on small children.Conversations during meals aregood speaking exercises. Eatingtogether and talking at the ta-ble are enormously importantfor your child’s language deve-lopment. So, switch off the TV and usemeals to talk with your childabout his or her day.

Watching television more than two or three hoursa week hampers speech development in childrenaged 0 to 5.

Conversations during meals areexcellent speaking exercises.

When watching TV, make sureyour child only watches pro-grammes suitable for his or herage. We can definitely recom-mend the children’s channel Ki-ka or programmes such as “DieSendung mit der Maus” (onARD).

Don’t just sit your child downin front of the television. Al-ways ask which programme heor she wants to watch. Use atelevision guide to choose aprogramme together.

The best thing to do is towatch TV together withyour child and then talkabout what you have beenwatching.

Tips:

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The most significant period forthe development of speechand language is between theages of two and four. Childrenwho often watch TV at thatage will have a very difficultstart at school.


In order to learn to speak alanguage, it is not enough forchildren to merely listen to thespeech sounds of a language.They also need to be able tounderstand the meaning ofwhat is being said.

In order to learn to speak a language, it isnot enough for children to merely listen to it.They also need to be able to understand themeaning of what has been said.

Only high quality films for children will promote yourchild’s speech and language development.

When watching TV, ask yourchild questions such as, “Whatdid you like about the film?”or “What was the film about?”Films on tape or DVD are moresuitable for children than pro-grammes on children’s TVwhich are continuously inter-rupted by commercial breaks.TV ads are a real problem asyour child will not be able tofollow their complicated mes-sages or even the speed oftheir speaker. This confuses and frustrateschildren and has a negative im-pact on their development.


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• try out lots of different things (children don’t hurt themsel-ves as often as you may think),

• walk a lot (e.g. walk to the day care centre or take your child with you when you run errands).

• balance on low walls,

• climb, jump, go on the swings (e.g. at the play-ground, in the park or in the forest),

How is learning to speak connected to physical activity?Physical activity and a child’s speech andlanguage development cannot be separated.

Physical activity is extremely im-portant for children. The moreactive children are, the betterthey get to know their bodyand their environment. Lack ofphysical activity will slow downyour child’s speech and langua-ge development.

aMake sure your child gets to

Tips:

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Children have a natural urge tomove. While moving, they pro-cess and come to terms withtheir encounters, feelings andexperiences.

As children get more skilled intheir movements, e.g. whenrunning, playing ball, climbingor balancing, they also learnto control the movements oftheir mouth and tongue moreaccurately.

Create opportunities for your child tobe physically active at home.

Physical activity promotes speech development.Physical activity is important for children.

Even in your house or flat youcan create an environmentwhich encourages your child:use old mattresses for yourchild to jump on, build a slidedown the bed, hang a swingbetween door posts, put up ahammock, etc.


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If your child uses a word he orshe cannot pronounce, simplyrepeat it. Example: “Mommy‚puter.” — “Yes, your mommyis at the computer.”

Be patient. If there is some-thing you don’t understand,ask.


How can I practice speaking with my child?The best exercise is: to talk with your child about everything he or she sees or does during the course of a day.

Make sure your child gets aproper chance to tell you abouthis or her experiences andthoughts.

Try and get some variation intoyour language. This will impro-ve your child’s vocabulary. Usedifferent words with the samemeaning, such as nice, lovely,pretty.

Take time to talk about every-day experiences.

Take time to talk about every-day experiences.

Let your child tell his or herstory. Create a pleasant atmosphereand make sure your child enjoys the experience.

Tips:

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Try to remember your own childhood andteach your child nursery rhymes, sayings,songs, or counting-out rhymes.

Experience shows that stub-born, one-sided speech andlanguage training for pre-school aged children does nothave the desired effect. Chil-dren have a natural inclinationtowards learning, and they le-arn best when they are playingand having fun. Funny versesand rhymes train their memoryand have a positive effect ontheir ability to learn.

The melody or rhythm of asong helps children pronounceeven long words. Pictures inspi-re them to invent stories. Theyare indispensable as they im-part knowledge, inspire chil-dren’s imagination, and helpthem express their experiencesverbally.

For children, talking should be fun.Language is supposed to inspi-re your child’s imagination. Tryto remember your own child-hood and teach your childnursery rhymes, sayings, songs,or counting-out rhymes.

Look at picture books together,read out stories, or tell storiesfrom your own childhood. Play-ing and talking with your childwill liven up your child’slanguage and make it more va-ried.


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Your child will learn a lot aboutyou and your country of originfrom stories, songs or children’sgames from your country.

Help your child make Germanfriends at the day care centre,the playground, or on a sportsteam.


What language should I use when I speakwith my child at home?

Your mother tongue is thelanguage closest to your heart.Your child needs to learn it inorder to be able to talk to yourfamily and friends and simplyto feel at home. The same ap-plies to dialects.

Even when speaking your mo-ther tongue or dialect, youshould use a wide range of vo-cabulary.

Associate your mother tonguewith everything connected toyour country of origin and itsculture.

Being able to speak your mother ton-gue well is an important prerequisite

for learning German.

Use your mother tongue when talking to your child.

Use every opportunity to speak to your child in your mother tongue or the language you feel most comfortablewith.

Tips:

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Allow your child to invitefriends to your home.

a particular language is spo-ken. Define and stick to funda-mental rules such as: one per-son – one language, or: oneparticular situation – onelanguage. When learning morethan one language at the sametime, children should always beclear about which language isbeing used. That way they willlearn to distinguish betweendifferent languages.

Being able to speak your mo-ther tongue well is importantin order to learn German. It iseasier to express your feelingsin your mother tongue, and itcontributes considerably to thedevelopment of your child’spersonality.

If more than one language isused at home, parents shouldestablish clear rules as to when

Allow your child to bring homefriends and visit friends at theirhome. That way your child willget to know different familiesand their customs. Approachyour German neighbours orGerman parents at the daycare centre.It is just as important that youas a parent learn German. Gettogether with other parents atyour day care centre and sug-gest that the Elternseminar(Tel. 216-68 67) offer a Ger-man language course.

Your mother tongue and German – it is important to learn both languages.


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Does my child learn enough German at the day care centre?If you speak your mother tongue at home, your child will learn German outside the family.

It is important for your child to beallowed to speak his or her mother

tongue at the day care centre.

language. Ask at your day carecentre what concept they useto promote and developlanguage skills. It is importantfor your child to be allowed tospeak his or her mother tongueat the day care centre. It willgive your child the feeling thathis or her skills in his or hermother tongue are given reco-gnition. The safer children feelat their day care centre, themore they will want to partici-pate verbally, too.

When registering your child ata day care centre, address thetopic of languages and tell thestaff which language(s) youspeak at home. The carers will be interested inhow your child’s mother ton-gue has developed so far. Accompany your child to theday care centre at the begin-ning to help him or heradapt more easily. That wayyour child will feel safer in anew environment and find iteasier to open up to a new

Children who join a day carecentre at the age of three haveenough time to learn Germanas a second language beforethey go to school. In order todo so, they need to be able tospeak their mother tonguewell. Many day care centresput a special emphasis onlanguage development andpromotion.

Tips: Experts opinion:

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How you can assist your child’s speechand language development

Don’t anticipate your child’severy wish, but encouragehim or her to express it.Example: Your child points ata bottle of sparkling water. Askyour child, “Are you thirsty?What would you like to drink?Water or juice?”Inspire your child to speak bydescribing to your child whatyou (or your child) are doing atthe moment.Example: “Look what I’ve gothere, an apple. It is a nice, redone. Would you like to holdthe apple? Would you like me

to cut it up into small piecesfor you? There you go, I’ve cutit up for you.”

If your child pronouncessomething incorrectly, simplyrepeat the word pronouncing itcorrectly. Do not force your child to re-peat it again.Example: Your child takes astep forward and says “Sue”.You may say, “I see, you wouldlike me to tie your shoe laces?”

Use simple language when

talking to your child. Do not,however, use babytalk, as youare acting as a role model foryour child.Example: Don’t say, “It’s atoot toot!“ but rather, “Thetrain goes toot toot.”

Give your children a chanceto answer the questions ot-her people ask themselves,even if you may be tempted tohelp out. Be patient. Children can be very creative inthe way they express things ifyou give them enough time.

Talk to your child about whatyou are doing at the moment.

Look at your child when speaking.Always listen carefully, even if it may

take a bit longer sometimes.

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From age 5Von Drachen, Ritternund PiratenCornelia Funke, James Krüssund viele andere, Esslinger Verlag Schreiber,2005ISBN 3-480-22109-2

From age 6Till WiesentrollUlrike Kuckero, Thienemann Verlag, 2005


Even very small children want you to read out booksto them and to look at the books themselves.

Recommended Reading

From age 3Zehn grüne HeringeWolf Erlbruch, Hanser, 2001ISBN 3-446.20035-5

From age 4Sieben freche HexenIngrid Uebe, ars edition, 2005ISBN 3-7607-1409-9

Nein! Ich bin nicht müdeund ich geh nicht schlafenLauren Child, Carlson, 2004ISBN 3-551-51608.1

From age 2Kleine Tiergeschichten zum VorlesenHenriette Wich, Ellermann, 2005ISBN 3-7707-3964-7

Montag, Dienstag... Hexen-tagRosemarie Künzler-Behncke, Ravensburger Buchverlag, Otto Maier, 2002ISBN 3-473-31063-8

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Books in Turkish language

Gökkusagi BaligiMarkus Pfister,Der RegenbogenfischNord-Süd-Verlag, 1998ISBN 3-314-00664-0

Laura`nin yildiziKlaus Baumgart,Lauras SternBaumhaus-Verlag, 1999ISBN 3-8315-0004-5

Books in Russian language

FreundeHelme Heine,Middelhauve, 1999ISBN 3-7876-9601-6

SchneewittchenISBN 5-353-00027-7

... you can borrow these andmany more books from the fol-lowing libraries:

Kinderbücherei im WilhelmspalaisKonrad-Adenauer Straße 270173 Stuttgart

Phone: 0711/216-5768

[email protected]

Reading out stories and telling talesis one of the most efficient ways ofassisting language development.

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TV channels showing non-violent and ad-free programmes

• KI.KA - Der Kinderkanal, • Arte

Flimmo - Bayrische Landes-zentrale für Neue Medien Helps you choose programmessuitable for children. Go towww.flimmo.de for free infor-mation, or pay a visit to yourBürgeramt (Public Services Of-fice) or Jugendamt (Youth Wel-fare Department)

Information for Parents

Linda Clark, Catherine IrelandSprechen lernen, lernendurch sprechenKidsworld, Beust Verlag, München 1998

Elke Burkhardt-MontanariWie Kinder mehrsprachigaufwachsen Verband binationaler Familienund Partnerschaften, iaf e.V., Verlag Brandes & Apsel, Frankfurt a. M., 2001

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Impressum

Herausgeber:

Jugendamt der

Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart

Wilhelmstraße 3

70 182 Stuttgart

Fotos: Munck, Thiele, Weber

Gestaltung: Brigitte Loeckle

www.Loeckledesign.de

Illustrationen: German Frank

Redaktion: Angelika Friedrich

[email protected]

Claudia Karidis

Alexandra Maier

Monika Peters

Bettina Quaas

Uli Simon

Beate Streicher-Kieltsch

Sprache, das Tor zur Welt

ist erhätlich als Übersetzung

in GB, HR/BiH/SCG, I, RUS, TR

Englische Übersetzung:

Barbara Nentwich

April 2006


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