Parents work hard to give their offspring the skills they need to thrive. One of those skills is helping them to become influential communicators. The vocabulary a person uses, their accent, their tone of voice, and whether they speak more than one language strongly influences the life they will lead and the work they will do.
How does a child learn to speak? By listening, absorbing, retaining, and rehearsing. Most children utter their first understandable words between 9 and 18 months. Kids ultimately build verbal skills that mirror the quality of the language enrichment they absorbed: at home, at their enrichment programs, their school, and in their community. Since youngsters have the ability to absorb and mimic each and every sound and meaning they hear, why not make their environment as “language rich” as we can?
Isn’t it better for my child to master his first language before embarking on a second? Most children are capable of learning more than one language at the same time. For example, “casa,” “maison,” and “house” are different sounds for the same meaning. As we read them, or as we hear them, our minds instantly identify their meaning and the languages to which they belong. The human brain is extraordinary. Not only is a child’s mind at least as capable of understanding and storing the millions of sounds and meanings that an adult’s mind can store, but also most experts believe that a child’s mind is more capable. This is why the LWFC has seen many youngsters master three languages by their third birthday.
What is a language enriched environment? Enrichment is providing more of something than is basically required. Think of the most eloquent speakers that you know: actors, politicians, individuals from all walks of life who have the ability to speak articulately. Chances are that they were raised in a language enriched environment. They may have been exposed to a wider vocabulary and phraseology than other children. They may have been challenged by adult-level discussions at the dinner table, or they may have had an opportunity to absorb a particular accent. Enrichment sets a stage upon which a youngster not only learns to dialogue in a particular language, but to think in it as well.
Kids Learn More When we Add Emotion and Context.
For better or worse our brains tend to record emotion-filled experiences more than others. And children imprint and understand words at a deeper and more permanent level when they not only hear them, but emotionally experience them too. That’s why play is so important.
