Pleasurable pursuit

By JOHN DORAISAMY 

MANY reasons could be advanced by a teacher if a student were to pose the question, Please teacher, why should I read? Reading is a good or wholesome pastime. An old proverb says that the idle man’s brain is the devil’s workshop. Reading keeps the mind fully occupied. It is, I daresay, far better to be “hooked’ on reading books, newspapers, magazines or comics rather than be drawn to narcotics. 

Over the years, teachers have urged their students to read widely. That is the ideal way of developing confidence in language usage. Grammar is also mastered with relative ease through sheer familiarity. In Malaysia, it is openly acknowledged that general reading is not yet widespread. In buses, trains and aircraft, people seem to prefer to chat with a fellow traveller or just sit and stare in front of them. 

In England, to take a random example, people read as they travel to and from work or to the shops. Over a period of time, the individual becomes a citizen of a well-informed community. The mastery of reading by children requires cooperation between home and school. There must be a variety of print materials in the home. The more young children see parents and elders reading, the greater the probability that they will also take to reading. 

William James in his essay On A Certain Blindness In Human Beings relates the experience of a missionary in the depths of Africa. As he sat on the verandah of a bungalow reading a periodical, a crowd had gathered. They stood watching for a long time. Eventually one person approached the reader and quite reverentially, asked whether he could buy some of the “eye medicine” that the missionary was absorbing.

The illiterate ones, whether young or old, are unable to grasp the link between the human being and the printed page. Yet it is this mysterious activity that has to be promoted more vigorously by Malaysian teachers and parents. There is really no substitute for wide reading. Students will steadily obtain deeper insights into the use of tenses as well as increase their stock of vocabulary. It doesn’t matter what sorts of fiction or non-fiction a student is interested in. 

Adolescent boys will take to detective and mystery stories, as well as to ghost stories and adventure and war settings. Girls may prefer romances and family chronicles. In the course of time, students may, of their own accord, try reading the classics or simplified versions of them. “Never put adult heads on adolescent shoulders” was the advice traditionally given to teacher trainees with regard to reading for secondary school students.

In 1975, a report entitled A Language For Life was published in Britain. It contains the findings and recommendations of a committee headed by Sir Alan Bullock. There are many useful observations and practical suggestions for all parents and language teachers.

The Bullock Report declares that the best way to prepare the very young child for reading is to hold him on your lap and read aloud to him stories that he likes over and over again. The printed page, the physical comfort and security, the reassuring voice, and the fascination of the story itself all combine in the child’s mind to identify books as something which hold great pleasure. I quote from paragraph 7.6 of the report: 

“Every time a parent reads aloud to a child, the child is learning that by some curious means the lines of print can be converted into stories which he can enjoy.”

How Can Parents Help Your Young Child to Build Pre-Writing Skills

Like reading, writing is another basic skill, which lays the foundation for children’s future success. In addition to help your child form a good reading habit, parents should observe your child’s learning stage and support your child to develop writing skills properly. Children usually learn to print first. However, they are not able to write well until they have developed good fine-motor skills, we call them pre-writing skills.

Fine-motor skills development demands that children are able to accurately and effectively use the small muscles in their hands. These intrinsic muscles will be used for the rest of their lives and for essential functional activities. Childhood is the critical time to properly develop these muscles. Well developed fine motor skills are essential for kids’ future success.

Help your child develop strong fine-motor coordination

Fine-motor is usually defined as the ability to coordinate the action of the eyes and hands together in performing precise manipulative movements. As we know, most activities, which are called bi-manual activities require the use of the two hands working together to perform the task. There are some single-handed manipulative tasks are referred to as uni-manual activities; for example, using a hand to do drawing and handwriting.

In general, children show the most improvement in simple fine-motor control behaviors from 4 to 6 years, more complex control behaviors tend to improve gradually from 5 to 12 years, some fine-motor skills, like isolated finger, hand, wrist, and foot movements tend to improve significantly from 5 to 8 years. Proficiency in fine-motor control allows children to develop skills that will have both consequences immediately and in their later life.

Tips for parents

Well developed fine-motor skills are foundation for kids to learn writing and perform many essential functional activities in their lives. Fortunately, parents can do a lot of things to help your child’s fine-motor skill development.

We recommend you to encourage your child do the following activities to help him or her develop the balance, precision, and hand-eye coordination that are needed to perform the fine-motor skills used in handwriting and other tasks your child will involve in his or her life.

• Play with small blocks and other miniature toys, such as Lego’s
• Learn to master some everyday skills such as tying his or her shoes, buttoning and zipping his or her clothes
• Turn things over or turn pages of a book
• Screw and unscrew the cover of a bottle of water
• Play some games that involves the handling of cards and small pieces
• Play games that require precise hand and finger control
• Do drawing, painting, and coloring
• Play puzzles
• Play with small objects such as coins
• Make crafts using crayons, marking pens, scissors, glue, finger paints, and tearing paper
• Be able to use one finger at a time, such as in playing the piano or typing

Above all, be patient with your child because it does take longer for children to learn skills than parents think. Give your child sufficient time let him or her practice, enhance, and evaluate his or her fine-motor skills. Encourage your child by praising his or her efforts often. Please remember, every child has a different pace in acquiring the fine-motor skills. The more your child uses his or her fingers in activities, the sooner and the better he or she will acquire these skills.

To improve your parenting skills refers to Great Parenting Books.

http://www.parents-and-kids.com/parenting/en/how-can-parents-help-your-young-child-to-build-pre-writing-skills/

English at home - Exploring English

by Keith W. Wright

To help your children improve their English, use the language constantly and share the joy of reading.  

While many of the e-mails I receive in response to Exploring English come from teachers, tutors and students, in recent times I have received quite a number of e-mails from parents who are keen to help their children improve their English.

My daughter Alison, who has a PhD in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and is a senior university lecturer in Australia, once told me that the most important people in the world are mothers and pre-school teachers as they have the most significant and profound influence on a child’s education potential. 

While she is biased being both a mother and an ECE teacher, there is obvious merit in her contention. As an educator, I appreciate the importance of parents having knowledge that will equip them to better assist their children in their education journey. 

I am also aware that many teachers and tutors, as well as some older students, are parents themselves, and that some of the techniques that apply to education in the home are also applicable to the classroom. I hope the columns that will be run over the next few weeks will be of interest to most readers. 

Reading together 

Reading is often one of the six macro English skills that parents seem to focus on, and for that reason, this column shall begin with that skill. 

It is important that parents regularly read and tell stories to their young children. Share the joy of reading with them while using expression to emphasise the characters, their roles and feelings. Stories come alive this way and children can learn that the potential of books is limited only by their imagination.

 

source: sxc.hu

 There is value in the everyday interaction and enjoyment that accompanies reading together. Parents should use the “lap-reading” approach to make early reading very personal and pleasurable. 

Moreover, adopting the practice of letting your children choose the book they want you to read to them – even if it is the same one night after night – has its benefits.