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Do we need to teach handwriting these days?

Do we need to teach handwriting these days?

Most of the writing we do these days, from emails to reports to tweets, is on a keyboard. It can seem intuitive to also start with the keyboard when teaching a child to write. Typing looks so much easier to do than handwrite. Just think…

Can reading be taught through movement?

Can reading be taught through movement?

As a child is making her first steps toward literacy, the focus is often placed on identifying letters or characters. Caregivers may point out a letter or character, and ask the child which it is. Though reading is largely a visual (or haptic, in the…

Is a writing system necessary for language?

Is a writing system necessary for language?

Learning to read and write can seem to many of us an essential step in acquiring a language. Yet, the majority of language learning happens before children begin to develop literacy skills. Learning can begin as early as in the womb! A language can be…

How do we preserve the diversity of the world’s languages?

How do we preserve the diversity of the world’s languages?

It is much easier to find movies dubbed or subtitled in some languages than others. For some languages it can even be difficult to find just a few speakers. Endangered languages are those that have very few young learners, something a lot of us take…

Is there one right way to bring up a bilingual child?

Is there one right way to bring up a bilingual child?

There are many ways to foster bilingualism. There is not one best strategy! To choose the strategy that works best for you and your child, follow the three pillars of harmonious bilingualism. Harmonious bilingualism is based on the importance of well-being for bilingual language acquisition.…

What strategies do bilingual families use to foster language acquisition?

What strategies do bilingual families use to foster language acquisition?

Bilinguals all speak two languages, but how they learned those two languages can vary a lot! The first example of a bilingual child that may come to mind is when one caregiver speaks one language and the other another language. This is called the one-parent-one-language…

How do I develop my child’s communication skills?

How do I develop my child’s communication skills?

Conversations are one of the cornerstones of communication. We have conversations all the time, from very brief ones when we ask a store clerk about a product to hour long phone calls with our best friends. A full-fledged conversation with a young child, however, can…

How can you use what your child is interested in to grow their vocabulary?

How can you use what your child is interested in to grow their vocabulary?

Think of the hours on end you can spend looking up your favourite sports team’s stats, making each and every recipe from your go-to cookbook, or debating with your friends about top gardening techniques. You can likely remember tiny details about things most people know…

The best screens of 2020

The best screens of 2020

Our modern lives are packed with screens galore, phones in our hands, computers in our offices, ads in the subway. In fact, you are looking at one right now! Some screens are only there to be looked at, but others need to be engaged with,…

Can my child learn from watching television?

Can my child learn from watching television?

Children can appear very focused in front of a television. Unfortunately, this does not mean they are actively learning. Studies show that children under the age of 3 do not learn very well, if at all, from television or videos. As children get older, television…