Intermediate Learner Skills: Continued...

Language Building

Once the child loves books and loves story-telling sessions, we can start building language through books. The child might have already picked up a few skills on the way! That is why we focus so much on emphasizing child’s motivation first of all, and not rushing into pushing the child to learn. A happy child is a learning child!

Commenting and labeling is a good start! Use short and clear words to label and comment, following your child’s level. For example, “Blue Car”, “Blue car goes DOWN the hill”, “Blue car says vroom vroom”, “Blue car, just like mummy’s car!”

You can choose a target for each storybook session. For example if you would like to focus on introducing colours, then the commenting and labeling can focus on the colours of the pictures of every page of the book.

You can start introducing questions & answer too along the story. But do balance the demand, as we do not want to associate book time with too many difficult questions. You can try asking one question for every two to three comments that you make.

Receptive questions can be questions such as “Where is the ___?”, “Show me the ____?” this is where the child has to identify the answers by pointing the item out. Expressive questions require your child to tell you the answer verbally or using PECS, or whichever communication device that the child uses.

By keeping book reading and storytelling session fun and stress-free, you might be surprised that how much your child might have learned incidentally! Building interest with books will bring your child further!

Written By, 
Yu Ying
Consultant, EAP Malaysia