A recent article in SF Gate, http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Our-economic-future-depends-on-early-investments-5194170.php highlighted the importance of parents talking to their children so when they enter school they are ready to be successful learners. Talking develops a child’s use and understanding of language, which is the basis of reading. What makes vocabulary valuable and important is not the words themselves so much as the understandings they afford.
Infants learn language with remarkable speed. Young children learn their mother tongue rapidly and effortlessly, from babbling at 6 months of age to full sentences by the age of 3 years when engaged in social exchange, regardless of culture. The way parents engage with their child will determine the path that language development takes in the vital first five years. Conversations before the age of 3 are directly linked to IQ development. Whether they speak early or late, or learning one or more languages, language acquisition for all children occurs gradually through interaction with people and the environment.
Talking with young children and school age children gives them the vocabulary they need to be successful learners. Choose a subject that interests your child. Payton Manning is a good choice, whether or not you are a football fan. His personal story, what makes him extraordinary, the way he has flourished, and how he has dealt with his disadvantages and set backs is just the tip of the iceberg. I can’t imagine a person who would not admire and aspire to his brand of extraordinary.
When we think of talking about what happened and why, which is the basis of story, talking with children becomes interesting and creates a close bond between parent and child. Talking about a story frees a parent from feeling annoyed that too many of their conversaitons with their children amounts to giving them directions and asking them” How was your day?”, which often yields a most unsatisfactory, “nothing.” Find out a little more about Peyton Manning and begin a conversation which is sure to feel rewarding
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/opinion/sunday/bruni-maturitys-victories.html?_r=0
