Photo by shonna1968
Although sometimes I long for a few minutes of silence, the reality is that I love the fact that my three-year-old daughter, Vanessa, talks non-stop. Her vocabulary in Spanish is extensive and I know it has to do with the fact that I’ve talked to her since she was in my belly.
In fact, many studies show that the amount of conversations and the variety of words that children listen to have a direct influence on the pace at which they develop language skills. Children that are exposed to both more words and uncommon words in their conversations with adults tend to develop broader vocabularies.
So, how do you do this? Expose your children to a vast variety of experiences making sure you turn them into an opportunity for them to learn:
MEAL TIME
From cooking terms to the origin of a specif dish, the chances to teach your children tons of vocabulary abound in the kitchen. Just the other day, after Vanessa finished eating ice cream with her new-found-love, cajeta, she asked me to please wipe her hands with a wet towel because she hates being sticky. So I did and we went finger by finger saying their name in Spanish a couple of times for each hand.
PLAY TIME
Some children are more prone to have a conversation if they have something concrete to talk about, such as a toy or another material thing. Vanessa makes up all kinds of stories about her plush animals and she loves to tell me all about them. I encourage her to do so by asking probing questions and making relevant comments.
TRAVEL TIME
Oh, how I love to travel! I think there’s no better way to learn than this one. When traveling with children, it’s a good idea to learn about the place you’ll be going to before the actual trip. This will probably make them more eager to get there and will make them pay better attention to their surroundings once there. We recently took a road trip about six hours southwest of Denver to a spot famed for it’s healing hot springs. A few days before the trip, I showed Vanessa the route we were going to take on a big map I have hanging in my office and we talked about what we would find there. She was fascinated before we even got there and now, a few weeks later, she still talks about the trip.
ROUTINE TIME
As you probably know by now, children crave routines and I do too because they offer great opportunities for interaction. Every afternoon, after I pick up my daughter from preschool and we’re in the car ready to go home, I ask her about her day. We have great conversations and she’s come to expect them by now. Some times she has a funny story to tell me about what happened, other times she shares a song she learned in music class, and still others she has a question about something one of her teachers said. And, as we talk about all these things, her vocabulary continues to expand.
What are some of the experiences you like to turn into learning opportunities?
Funny, Roxana, I too talked, sang and read to my daughter Megan since pregnancy! Sometimes my mom & sister would warn me I was talking TOO much to her. I beg to differ because now she reads on a 9th grade level in 4th grade!
We use music all of the time to reinforce both our native language (English) and our second language (Spanish), and you know, each song we sing holds both languages in the song. So whether it’s 5 little monkeys we sing about or the weather, we are always learning through our music fun times!
.-= Beth Butler´s last blog ..Free Music Download from Boca Beth for Music Monday =-.
I’m another non-native speaker who is trying to teach her children Spanish. We watch videos and read books but I find my child asking me what a certain word in Spanish is so if I don’t know we look it up and practice it. I think I’m going to start a word of the week in Spanish to help us both learn more words.
.-= Callista´s last blog ..Saving Time and Money During the Holidays =-.
That´s an excellent idea! Especially since it´ll get you both motivated and can become “your thing.” Let us know how it goes.
I think whenever you are talking with children conversationally is a learning opportunity. I try to expand on whatever my children are talking with me about by asking open-ended questions and asking them what they think about something.
So true. It also helps them become critical thinkers…bilingual ones
I never thought about reading to my girl while she ate in her high chair! I love it. Children’s books are definitely a great way to increase your own vocabulary if you’re learning/practicing a language.
One of the funny things about kids is that they seem to be interested in the most mundane things and random thoughts! And asking them questions really gives you a window into their mind.
Great idea! I use meal-times to read longer chapter books to my 2-yr-old daughter as she has something else to occupy her, but is still listening. I think it’s a good time if you want to try out something that’s more advanced. Easier stories we can read anytime. With chapter books (or more advanced language) the interest usually comes and goes more throughout the story so it’s nice she has to stay seated and has something else to focus on through the rougher patches. I should really be using this time for spanish readings as well – thanks for the idea!