Parent Newsletter
The Importance of Language and Communication
Dear Parent and Guardians,
It is with great pleasure to welcome you to our first parent newsletter. I'm very excited to share some great and valuable information regarding effective language and communication with your child.
Language and communication is fundamentally important for everyone. It's an essential milestone in young children. Beginning from an early age, children pay close attention to how language is spoken. Gradually over time, children gain the capacity to differentiate and understand the various sounds and word and can associate them to their appropriate meaning. Through communication, children can express their feelings and emotions in everyday situations. It provides them with the opportunity to convey vital information to others and receive feedback. For instance, if notice your child is demonstrating signs of distress or discontentment, this is a clear indicator that the child is in need of comforting form an adult. The key is to recognize these signs in order to respond appropriately to your child's needs. According to Terry Piper (2012) "language is the usual medium for communication, but crying, screaming, gestures, bodily movement (as in pantomime), facial expressions can also be used to communicate" (Piper, T. 2012, section 1.1 para. 3).
Did you know?
There is an estimate of 7,000 languages that are spoken all across the world.
The English Language is the only language that is spoken by more than 285 million people. (Piper, T. 2012, section 1.4)
There are no words that rhyme with orange and purple.
William Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words we use today.
Final thoughts
As parents and educators, it is our responsibility to communicate with our children daily. By asking open-ended questions it will encourage them to expand their vocabulary abilities and feel more confident when expressing their messages to their peers.
In addition to verbal communication, literacy is exceptionally important. Reading has a wide range of benefits. It helps children construct their imagination, supports eye-hand coordination, and enhances their social skills. According to The Hanen Centre (2011) "Research shows that when adults create rich language and literacy environment and respond to a child's communication in specific ways, they can boost that child's emergent language and literacy development and increase the likelihood of future academic success" (The Hanen Centre, 2011, para. 3)
References
Piper, T. (2012). Making Meaning, Making Sense: Children's Early Language Learning. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education
Early Childhood Language and Literacy Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.hanen.org/About-Us/What-We-Do/Early-Childhood-Language-Literacy-Development.aspx
Freedman-De Vito, B. (2004). Why Reading Is So Important For Children - Child Development - Parenting - Family Resource. Retrieved from http://www.familyresource.com/parenting/child-development/why-reading-is-so-important-for-children