More Than One Language
OVERVIEW
Every child is born with a primitive ability to imitate facial
expressions and gestures. Playing imitation games encourages this powerful
way of learning. Adults who listen, watch and respond to a baby’s early sounds
and facial expressions are laying the foundation for communication and
conversation. When a parent/caregiver sticks out their tongue, their child has
to think about how it feels to stick out his tongue because he cannot look in a
mirror to see it. The ability to try to feel the way another person is feeling is an
early way to develop empathy.
PRACTICE
In the home
To see how a baby reacts, you can ask parents/
caregivers to imitate their child cooing, smiling or frowning, and then pause to
give the baby time to react. Babies usually repeat the sound or expression. You
can explain that this starts a cycle of “serve-and-return” interactions. Playing
with a child helps him bond with his parents/caregivers.
In the Centre
You can encourage a child’s communication and social skills
by imitating them. If they coo, stick their tongue out or smile, imitate the
behaviour back to them to let them know you are responding to their “serve.”
You can also encourage them to imitate you by smiling, talking or clapping.
Always give them time to respond and offer smiles and verbal praise when they
imitate your actions. You can include songs with simple actions a baby can
imitate, such as “Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands.” As they get older, they will begin
to copy and imitate other children in the group, learning turn-taking and further
developing their social skills.
REFLECTION
What are the various responses the child displays?
Which facial expressions does he respond to the most?
Which ones make him smile?
Does the child give you a “curious” look when you make certain facial expressions?
DOMAINS OF EXPERIENCE
Cognitive
Language
Social-emotional
OVERVIEW
First “drawings” will mostly be lines and curves. A child begins by understanding that he can make marks on paper. Later he will see that the marks can represent an object or an idea. At first, he will colour at random, but before long, his marks will have purpose. As your child becomes able to control his arms, hands and fingers, he will make deliberate marks.
PRACTICE
In the Home
Encourage parents/caregivers to offer their child a blank piece of paper and a few crayons. Encourage them to talk to their child about the lines he draws and the colours he is using as they colour together. Using blank paper may be the best idea at this stage; a child is not yet ready to colour inside the lines of a colouring book.
Talk to parents/caregivers about the different ways they can make marks, such as drawing with a stick in the sand, running a finger over frost or fog on a window or using pen and pencil on paper.
You can remind parents/caregivers that children don’t always realize that drawings are for paper. They may draw on walls, floors or other surfaces. Parents/caregivers might want to remember to keep crayons, markers and paint out of their baby’s mouth. They can try saying, “Colour on the paper,” or “Crayons are for drawing, not eating.”
In the Centre
You can encourage young children to draw and make marks on paper by fixing a large piece of paper to the floor with tape and offering two or three thick crayons. You can draw some lines and offer crayons to the children, inviting them to draw. If you are singing alphabet songs and learning about letters, you can write each child’s name on a large piece of paper taped to a table or the floor. Name each letter and talk about how it spells their name, “N-I-R-P-I-K- Nirpik, that’s your name!” Try to use syllabics before Roman orthography if you can. Set out crayons and markers and invite the children to decorate their name any way they’d like.
Provide materials like thick crayons, markers, thick brushes and paint to let children choose what they use to draw. Talk about the marks they make on the paper. For instance, “You made a straight line with your paint brush!” or “I think your drawing is very nice. Look at all the blue you used!” You can display their pictures on the wall of the centre, with a short description of the activity and how it supports children’s letter recognition and literacy skills. Seeing their pictures on the wall, alongside your description, can help children learn that drawing and writing can be a way to communicate.
REFLECTION
Does the child see you making lists or using a pen and paper for other purposes?
How can you gently bring a child’s attention to how you use writing for different purposes?
Is there opportunity for him to write on your list as well?
Has the child shown an interest in colouring?
What can you say if a child colours on the walls or puts crayons in his mouth?
What importance does art play in your culture?
How can you make the child aware of the lines and shapes in the art around him?
OVERVIEW
Children who learn more than one language in the early years, particularly before age 3, have better cognitive, social and emotional abilities than their peers who speak a single language. Children who are introduced to more than one language at a young age are more likely to use both languages in their daily lives. Speaking more than one language connects children to more than one culture and gives them a more complex and empathic view of the world. This helps them to discover their place in the world.
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In the Home
Explain to parents/caregivers that children are more motivated to learn a new language when it is fun. Songs and rhymes are a great way to teach a child a new language. Parents/caregivers can find songs and rhymes that use simple words and are repetitive and rhythmic. Through songs, they can teach their child to become familiar with the sounds of the language even if his pronunciation is not perfect. Songs and rhymes about body parts are great for this purpose; they provide visual cues that a child can point to as he learns new words.
Command words, followed by movement, help the body assist in remembering the word. Commands like “Come here,” “Sit down,” or “Wake up” will tap into muscle memory. Suggest that parents/caregivers use commands from Inuktut to engage their child’s body in his language learning. If the child does not understand a word right away, they can use hand gestures or model the action the words are commanding. Explain that the more their child uses his senses as he learns, the more likely he will remember new words.
In the Centre
You can incorporate simple songs and nursery rhymes into music and movement periods; adding songs with movements supports both a child’s language learning as well as the development of gross motor skills, which will strengthen the association between the movements and the language. Reading picture books that introduce another language helps children to connect the words being spoken to the picture on the page.
By labelling objects around the centre in multiple languages, you can help children to create associations between the object and the world around them. When you speak to a child, you can repeat what you say in a second language to familiarize the child with that language. The more association a child has with other languages, the more comfortable he will be when using those words.
PRACTICE
REFLECTION
How do you feel sharing words in your language with the child?
How do you incorporate Inuktut into your daily routine?
What words does the child know in Inuktut?
BUILDS ON
“A Strong Identity” (12-24) and “Many Ways to Describe” (12-24)