You asked me what materials I used to boost my children’s English language acquisition in our home from the time they were at ‘tabula rasa’ stage until now.  I told you my answer was long.  Besides, the topic is interesting enough to include as a blog post….

People who meet my children for the first time (grade school and high school teachers, especially),  ask me if my husband is a foreigner because my children speak English with an American accent.  When I tell them that my kids are ‘made in the Philippines’ with ‘materials sourced from the Philippines’ they ask me how I managed to teach my kids how to speak English that way.

First, I don’t think that children are born with a completely blank slate (‘tabula rasa’).  Their brains are making neural connections all the time.  Sensory stimulation helps them make neural connections.  When a child’s basic needs for food, water, warmth and security are met timely, their minds are open and ready for stimulation.  When a child is crying all the time, he is focused on his body’s needs which go unmet.  He cannot be stimulated to learn.

Second, learning goes on all the time whether you (or the baby) are aware of it.  Your child hears your voice and learns to recognize it.  Your child remembers your scent and learns to recognize it.  When you are near, your baby gets excited: his source of food (and pleasure) is near– this is why breastfeeding is so crucial.  The child’s pleasure and satisfaction needs are met by one activity.

Third, the more connections your child’s brain makes, the more efficiently he can make sense of the world.  So if you talk to your baby, sing to your baby, dance to your baby, laugh with your baby, kiss and hug and tickle your baby, all the time giving him pleasure and deriving pleasure from the activity yourself, the more stimulation your baby gets.

Fourth, language is the capacity of the human to code and decode meaning.  The individual words often do not make sense to the child, but the emotional meanings do.  Thus, the capacity of the child to grasp meaning far exceeds his ability to grasp and imitate words.  The more often you call your child by name and the variety of ways you call your child’s name has meaning for him:  example: you call him by a love-name or a pet-name, he knows you are pleased with him.  You call him by his full name with a rising inflection, he knows you are displeased with him.  Variety in meanings, variety in tones, variety in expressions help children’s brains make connections between words and meanings.

Fifth, the mother (or any adult care giver) has to be consistent.  Routines are important to a child so that he can grasp the idea of discipline.  There’s eating time, bathing time, playing time, chore time, etc.  He learns to associate feelings with different activities.  But all the time, he likes being with you and interacting with you (or with any adult care giver).  Enjoyment is important.  When children enjoy activities, you can be sure that they will want to do those activities again and again. If learning is enjoyable, they will want to learn all the time.

Sixth, ordinary things around the house can be ‘imagined’ and ‘transformed’ into anything.  A cooking pot and a spatula can be a drum.  If you tie it to your child’s waist, he can imagine that he is in a marching band. Modelling clay can be anything. A swing can be an airplane. While ‘working’ with these ordinary household materials, you can talk about what you are doing.  Ask the child questions and answer his questions.  That way, he can practice his language skills.

Seventh, read to your child.  And let me add, enjoy reading to your child. If you enjoy the reading, your children will enjoy it as well.  If reading time is also bonding time, you can be sure that your kids will not only learn to read, they will learn how to love reading as well.

Eighth, story telling is important.  This helps a child learn how to summarize what he has observed and relate it to others.  When you bring your kids to the grocery store, on the way home, while in the car, ask him about the trip to the grocery store, what he remembers, what he likes, what he didn’t like.  Ask him to recall details.  When you get home, the groceries are on the table, ask him to help you put away the groceries.  Say, ‘honey, can you see the bread?  Where’s the bread?  Can you hand me the bread?  Can you put the bread in the refrigerator?’

Ninth, when your kids tell a joke, laugh.  When your kids tell a scary story, be scared with them.  When they tell you that something is ‘silly’ giggle with them and then ask them why they think it’s silly.  When your child is angry, when he is throwing a tantrum or when he is crying, you should tell him, “I don’t understand, hon.  What do you want?  Tell mama what you want.”  Don’t just say ‘Stop crying or I’ll spank you.”  He may be crying because he isn’t feeling well.  If you spank him for crying when he is feeling well, he won’t understand you at all.

Tenth, if you want your children to speak English, speak English to them.  If you want your children to speak lyrical Tagalog (you’ll need to marry a true blue Bulaqueno for this), speak Tagalog to them.  If you want them to speak Taglish then speak Taglish to them.  If you want them to speak like the sanggano sa kanto, then, talk that way to them.  Children imitate those people they identify with the most.

Do things with them, don’t do things for them all the time.  Make sure your child does his homework and be around for when he has questions.  Raising children is labor- and time-intensive.  You cannot do it by proxy and you cannot do it part time.  Even when you work outside of the home, you are still and always will be your children’s parent and first teacher.

I will probably get comments telling me that all this is not supported by early childhood development theories or something.  I was asked for an opinion.  I gave an opinion.  I am by no means telling people to raise their children this way.  All I’m saying is that this is the way I did it.  If this makes sense to you, then you can take some of the suggestions. If it does not suit your taste, well, then, you are free to unsubscribe and un-follow the post.

Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 is very apt. I paraphrase: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might.  These words which I command you this day shall be in your heart and you shall teach them diligently to your children and talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up.  You shall bind them for a sign upon their hand, and put them before their eyes.  You shall write them upon the posts of your house and on your gates.

A parent’s job of teaching his children is an everyday, every moment thing.  You are the spring from which your children will drink during their formative years.  Make sure your spring is clean and godly.  Make sure it is righteous and worthy of our calling in Christ.  Be not weary in doing this for in time, your efforts will bear fruit in your children’s lives. Happy parenting!