Children learn language from everyday conversations with their parents and caregivers. A child's success in school is influenced by the number of words the child hears at home regularly and how much quality language feedback is received.
Children learn specific language skills from conversing with parents and caregivers. This isn't a forced, technical process but rather based on regular informal conversations and a child's observations of language in the home. A child internalizes language through listening and speaking, especially in conversations with meaningful context. From speaking with adults, children learn the sounds of language (phonology), word meanings (vocabulary), rules for building sentences (grammar) and how to have a polite conversation or tell a story (social language use).
Besides conversation to build language skills, parents can provide a print-rich environment to aid literacy development. They should have plenty of books as well as magazines and newspapers available for the child. Displaying the child's artwork prominently in the home is also advised. They also can give the child materials to experiment with written language, such as writing instruments, papers, stencils, scissors and envelopes. Parents can make charts to display positive behaviors or accomplishments or to show how long it is until a big celebration. Magnetic letters can be placed on the refrigerator, and alphabet puzzles should be kept in a child's reach.
Besides engaging conversation, one of the biggest contributions parents can make to a child's emerging language and literacy skills is to read to the child. Parents can read all kinds of books to the child and teach nursery rhymes and poems. They can ask the child questions when they read together, such as about what the youngster sees on the page or what might happen next; if it's a familiar story, parents can let the child finish sentences for while they read. Children who are read to especially benefit from focusing on the sounds of words. Parents may discuss the sounds at the beginnings of words or how words rhyme. Also, parents should read plenty of books to the child that focus on the alphabet and teach letters. The child can point out letters on billboards, in fliers and at a store.
The first few years of a child's life have a tremendous impact on later schooling. So parents have a great deal of influence on a child's academic success before the child even steps one foot into school. Some ways to maximize this learning window is for parents to play games with the child, or, if just watching television together, parents can ask the child questions about the program, including what he thinks about what happened, or what he thinks might happen next. Parents also can take the child to a library, bookstores and events such as children's theater presentations or museums with exhibits especially interesting to children. Parents should listen to a child's stories, too, and ask her questions that engage her in conversation.