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Improving Child Development
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Rebecca Walker
The author Rebecca Walker writes articles for www.wetties.com. He also gives valuable information about friend networking sharing, free internet dating, online dating services are accessible on the internet.  
By Rebecca Walker
Published on 06/11/2007
 
The development of your child is something that you play an integral role in. For centuries scientists have debated whether intelligence stems from nature or nurture, however regardless of the role nature plays, the role of nurture cannot be disputed as one of the most critical elements in molding who your child will grow up to be.


Improving Child Development
The development of your child is something that you play an integral role in. For centuries scientists have debated whether intelligence stems from nature or nurture, however regardless of the role nature plays, the role of nurture cannot be disputed as one of the most critical elements in molding who your child will grow up to be. Your child’s development of reading, writing and arithmetic skills will be best aided through ensuring that you give them the attention they deserve to ensure they get a head start in life.

Many parents worry about when they should start to teach their child how to read and write. Much of this worry stems from them being scared that their child will be slower at picking things up than other children their age, and on the flip-side other parents fear that they may be putting their child through unnecessary stress through trying to teach them before they are ready. The truth is that if your child is not yet at school then they have plenty of time to start learning, but there really is never too young an age to get them started. Most research suggests that children around the age of 4 should be ready to start learning; however it will usually be around the age of 6 that children can read and write somewhat coherently.

Many parents find the thought of teaching a child to read or write from scratch very daunting, however it does not have to be. You should firstly start by teaching them to pronounce the lower case alphabet and then from there you will be able to ask them to combine letters to form syllables and then words. When teaching your child how to read, it is vital that you manage to portray it as a fun experience. You should also take advantage of teaching your child as a way to bond with them and promote reading as something that you and your child do together. You should choose reading material that is fun and that can provoke some form of conversation or even emotion from the child – in later years discussing literature that you and your child have both read is a great way of showing moral values and creating a mutual interest.

In order to ensure that reading remains fun throughout your child’s development it is best that you refrain from pushing them too hard when they make a grammatical mistake or have problems pronouncing a word. If they ask or they stall for a certain length of time then you can offer your help if they do not mind, however being too condescending, or too blatant in your attempts to teach, will just lead to ruining the enjoyable experience that reading should be.

Playing a role in your child’s development will allow you to ultimately have a stronger relationship with your child all the way through their life. Show them that you care for them and that you are able to help them whenever they need you.

The author Rebecca Walker writes articles for www.wetties.com. He also gives valuable information about child development, friend networking sharing, free online dating, active white board are accessible on the internet.


Teaching Children how to Read
Learning how to read is something which is a continued cycle for children all the way through to adult hood. At a young age children will firstly learn how to pronounce certain sounds, and then they will become more apt at reading complicated literature as their vocabulary improves and they become more accustomed to interpreting grammar and meaning from the written word. As a parent, your input into how quickly your child’s reading skills develop is vital. Through simply waiting on these skills to be picked up at school, you are leaving your children in a position where their classmates have more experience with reading and they are therefore going to be slower at applying what their teacher is teaching.   

One of the best ways to teach your children how to read is if you read to them from a young age. This will allow your child to become familiar with the written word and hopefully passionate about reading to the stage where they want to learn about it on their own. You should choose to read stories to your children that will entice them, rather than stories that may be too complicated for them to understand at a young age. You should also encourage them to pronounce words that they here you say; which will in turn make reading easier for them as they identify pronunciation and context.

When your child first starts learning how to read, it is important that you show a willingness to listen to them reading out loud to you. When listening to them reading ensure that you seem interested in what they have to say, which will in turn give them a confidence boost and a willingness to continue further. When your child makes a mistake you should correct them, however never to the point that it ruins the flow of what they are reading. For example, should your child stall over pronunciation then you should certainly help them however never to the detriment of their enjoyment of the story that they are reading.    

As well as encouraging reading as a group activity you also need to encourage reading on an individual level as well. Although you should direct your child in the direction of books that may be suitable, it is important they feel as though they helped to choose the material they are reading as well. When your child has read a book you should encourage discussion about it. Ask them what they think about certain characters, and where they think the plot is heading. Through really helping to stimulate a passion for reading, all the other elements will follow much more smoothly.

As a parent you can encourage your child to read through making it naturally fit into their day. Place books in the car so that they are encouraged to read on journeys, and also encourage your child to read before they go to bed. Through engraining reading as a fun activity from a young age, their reading skills will evolve and they will ultimately become more articulate and capable of learning.

The author Rebecca Walker writes articles for www.wetties.com. He also gives valuable information about child development, friend networking sharing, free online dating, active white board are accessible on the internet.


Teaching Children Reading and Writing
As a parent, teaching your child to read and write is one of the most important things that you will do for them. Through taking the time to do this before they go to school, and continuing to offer support while they are there, you can help your child to have the foundations necessary to learn, share and communicate with others. Teaching a child to read and write is a harder task than many parents expect, not least time consuming. You firstly need to start by teaching them how to pronounce sounds, and from there they have the vital components to pronounce words and then sentences and so on. A child can generally start to learn the alphabet at around 4 years old, and then they can try writing what they can read soon after. Many parents are concerned about trying to introduce their child to reading at too young an age, however this is not something to worry about - the truth is that it can only help.

When you are starting to teach your child how to read, you should not concentrate on pronouncing capital letters first. The reason for this is that learning lower case letters is easier to aid learning how to read. This is because lower case letters represent how one speaks, and through combining lower case letters you start to understand how you can formulate words stemming from them.  When your child tries to repeat lower case letters you may find that they are slightly off in how they say them. This is not a concern, and in actual fact does not relate to intellectual capacity. You should also not be overly concerned with grammar either; this is something they will learn over time and should not be prioritized from the outset.

When you are teaching your child how to read and write, you should be careful to limit the vocabulary that you aim to teach. The more vocabulary that you introduce; the more confusion and the more overwhelming the situation will become. According to some lines of academic thinking it is suggested that there are only 400 words a child needs to know in order to be able to communicate effectively.

When your child starts writing much the same applies as with reading. You should not be too concerned with a lack of firmness or preciseness in how they write – much of that will come with practice. The key is to teach your child to associate a character with a sound, and therefore to be able to graphically represent the spoken word.

Teaching your child to read and write is something which should go beyond preparing them for going to school. You should continue to do reading and writing with your child out of school as they may wish to clarify points with you that they do not want to ask their teacher. Further more, through making reading a fun and recreational exercise for your child you can ensure that their reading skills and ability to digest information will be much greater than it otherwise would be.

The author Rebecca Walker writes articles for www.wetties.com. He also gives valuable information about child development, friend networking sharing, free online dating, active white board are accessible on the internet.


The Advantages of Home Schooling
Home schooling is popular among parents and children alike. Unlike traditional schooling, home schooling allows for a more personal curriculum to be formed which suits the exact needs of the pupil. Further more, it also allows for a pupil to gain more time with their teacher than would ever be possible in larger classes, which are the only economically viable solution, within schools.

Focus on a Childs Competencies

When a child shows a particular ability or passion towards a certain subject area, it can be beneficial to teach them beyond the level that would normally be necessary. Not only does this equip them for further education or employment, it also allows them to enjoy their education more.

Within schools it is not always possible to notice, let alone allow a child’s passion for a certain area to be capitalized on. It is also the case that teachers are pressured into sticking to a particular curriculum that suits the needs of the broader demographic of the class. This means that the teacher has to meet a middle ground in terms of helping those that are challenged, and allowing more gifted pupils to take their learning further.  

The Attention They Deserve

With larger class sizes it is impossible for a teacher to be able to give children the attention that they deserve. The pupils that are particularly capable are not pushed far enough by their teachers, and those that are having problems at school are not able to be given the attention they deserve. For those that are not given the attention they deserve when they need it most, they may not have the foundations in place which are needed in order to understand later parts of their courses.   

Flexibility

Home school learning is increasing in popularity year on year, and the added flexibility that it provides cannot be ignored as a potential bonus of this for some people. For those that live far away from a state or private school, home schooling can be the only practical alternative to long journeys every day. Many parents also need to travel for a variety of reasons; with home schooling you can take the class room with you.

A Parents Motivation

Nobody wants a child to succeed more than their parents. With home schooling the parent is the teacher, and therefore they truly have the child’s best interests at heart. A parent is also able to take a far more insightful perspective on any problems their child may be having, as well as what it takes to get more out of them.

Bonding

Home schooling provides an opportunity for a parent to bond with their child and spend more time with them. Evidence suggests that a parent who helps their child with school work is more likely to have a better relationship with their child in later life. If you help your child with their school work, you also have a more open relationship with them through the very essence of knowing how their education is going.

The author Rebecca Walker writes articles for www.wetties.com. He also gives valuable information about child development, friend networking sharing, free online dating, active white board are accessible on the internet.