Close X
Friday, November 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

Tips For Helping Youngsters Link Written Words To Language

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Jan, 2016 11:27 AM
    Reading to very young children is crucial to help them eventually learn to read. But researchers studying how kids begin to understand that text conveys meaning differently than pictures — an important concept for reading readiness — say parents should pay attention to writing, too. Some suggestions:
     
    —Run a finger under the text when reading to youngsters. Otherwise, kids pay more attention to the pictures and miss an opportunity to link written words to spoken language, said Brett Miller of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.
     
    —Show children how you write their names well before they could attempt it, said Temple University psychology professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. That's one of their first concrete examples that a mysterious squiggle on a page is a symbol for a word they know.
     
    —Often a child's name is his or her first written word, thanks to memorizing what it looks like. Encouraging youngsters to invent their own spellings of other words could spur them to write even more, said developmental psychologist Rebecca Treiman of Washington University in St. Louis.
     
    —When youngsters scribble, don't guess what they produced — ask, Hirsh-Pasek said. It's pretty discouraging if a tot's about to announce he wrote a story and mom thinks he drew a house.
     
    —Post a scribble they're proud of on the refrigerator, she said. Children are figuring out patterns with their scribbles, and that's more instructive than merely pasting copies of, say, apples onto a page to make a recognizable picture.
     
    —Give tots a pencil or pen instead of a crayon if they say they want to "write" rather than "draw" so it will look more like text, Treiman said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Colorado Psychic Accused Of Swindling $200,000 From Member Of Lacoste Fashion Family

    Colorado Psychic Accused Of Swindling $200,000 From Member Of Lacoste Fashion Family
    BOULDER, Colo. — A Colorado psychic is accused of swindling more than $200,000 out of a member of the family that founded the high-end Lacoste clothing company.

    Colorado Psychic Accused Of Swindling $200,000 From Member Of Lacoste Fashion Family

    Four New Raccoon Rabies Cases Found In Hamilton, Bringing Outbreak Total To 10

    Four New Raccoon Rabies Cases Found In Hamilton, Bringing Outbreak Total To 10
    HAMILTON — The city says four new raccoon rabies cases have been found in Hamilton, bringing the total to 10 found in the area over the past three weeks.

    Four New Raccoon Rabies Cases Found In Hamilton, Bringing Outbreak Total To 10

    Assault Charges Dropped Against Former MP Julian Fantino

    TORONTO — The Crown has dropped privately laid assault charges against former federal cabinet minister Julian Fantino following an alleged incident 42 years ago.

    Assault Charges Dropped Against Former MP Julian Fantino

    Greens Are The New White? Canadian Golfers Hitting The Links This Christmas

    Greens Are The New White? Canadian Golfers Hitting The Links This Christmas
    Balmy breezes and soaring temperatures across parts of central and eastern Canada have prompted some golf courses to stay open throughout the holiday.

    Greens Are The New White? Canadian Golfers Hitting The Links This Christmas

    No Charges Against Police After Scuffle Broke Suspect's Jaw: B.C. Justice Branch

    No Charges Against Police After Scuffle Broke Suspect's Jaw: B.C. Justice Branch
    VICTORIA — No charges will be laid against members of a Vancouver Police Department strike force whose arrest of two men left one of the suspects with a broken jaw.

    No Charges Against Police After Scuffle Broke Suspect's Jaw: B.C. Justice Branch

    Algae Bloom Threatens Annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim In Victoria

    Algae Bloom Threatens Annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim In Victoria
    Organizers say blue-green algae has been found in Thetis Lake in View Royal, northwest of Victoria.

    Algae Bloom Threatens Annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim In Victoria