The Importance of Learning Language Skills: Part I
By Andrew Loh
Speech, language and communication are the indispensable tools that
help your child to communicate, distribute and share thoughts,
suggestions, ideas and emotions. Languages and dialects are a set of
well-defined rules and clauses shared by people, who like
communicate with others. This tool helps us to exchange thoughts,
ideas, and emotions with others. On the other hand, speech is all
about talking, which is also a way that helps us to use a particular
language. Children use languages as effective communication tools by
the way of writing, reading or even gestures. Children differ in the
way they develop their communication skills through speech and
language. However, nature provides a natural timetable to master
these skills for a particular language. Language skills are the
clearly identifiable signs that can help as a guide to normal or
optimal development. However, all children reach a general age and
time, when they reach the required ability to use language as an
effective communication skill.
With the right type of language skills, your children will develop
the required ability to understand, master and use a number of
simple and complicated words as well as ideas. Children can use
languages in varying degrees. One child can talk more about a
particular animal, while the other may talk in detail about birds.
One child can talk about feeling extremely angry, while others may
talk endlessly about feeling sad, happy or getting frustrated.
Another important aspect of acquiring skills is to learn and
understand more complex and lengthier words and sentences.
Strong and fundamental language and communication skills will help
you children to think and evaluate complex looking ideas and
scenarios that are not just the things that they can see in front of
their eyes. Getting any ability to create and tell stories, start
playing with different words and learning to ask meaningful
questions are the best indicators of very strong and robust language
skills in your children. Language and communication skills and
abilities play an important role in your children's life. Your
children hear and listen to a number of words and sentences
throughout the day, both in their home and in school. Every activity
that they undertake during the course of the day provides them an
opportunity to learn more words and phrases. Thus, your children
will develop an ability to develop basic language ability. Children
who develop better language and communication skills can succeed in
any profession and in any part of the world. The language or dialect
spoken at your home and custom/traditions followed can significantly
affect the way your children communicate.
In the first four or five years of your child's life, she or he will
learn and master a number of skills and abilities, out of which
language and communication are the most important ones. If you
nurture your child's abilities early enough, he or she can develop
the skill of learning any language just as easily as mother tongue.
You can encourage your child's language learning skills by making
them read small portions of text right from his or her early age.
Children can learn the art of communication by interacting and
conversing with their parents, friends and teachers. Learning to
talk and converse with others always happens naturally for almost
all children. In fact, talking or conversing with others is an art
learned naturally and not by acquiring. However, your children may
learn and master grammar and other social skills, again naturally,
but over time. Your children can also learn a series of non-verbal
language techniques over time; such techniques may include body
gestures, contact, eye movements, facial expressions and other
similar language forms.
How would you support your children's learning about languages and
communication? It is possible to develop the art of language skills
just by talking to your baby. Just go on talking endlessly to your
child! Share what you are planning to do in the next ten minutes,
what you are seeing out side the window and how you feel about the
weather outside. It is very critical for your baby to hear you speak
some language! Just pretend as if your child can understand what you
speak to your child. Experts believe that talking continuously with
your child can open up the possibilities of learning language, its
innumerable words and expressions. Language skills are possible only
when you provide an opportunity by setting up a series of dialogues
with your child; in fact, children are very eager to learn talking
and conversing, when they reach their third or fourth year. This is
the right time when you can kick-start your child's language
learning adventure.
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