Role of parents
Using home language to help your children
- Foster literacy development by reading books and telling stories to children in home language.
- Work with your children with home writing materials stored in one accessible location.
- Draw pictures, write stories and make lists with your children.
- Write letters to grandparents and other family members still in native country.
- Provide print-rich environment in home language and English as much as possible.
- Provide experiences of reading and writing for different purposes.
- Talk with your children about work, values, religion and daily activities.
- Make learning experiences out of everyday activities (sorting mail, sorting socks, shopping with lists etc.)
- Widen your children’s world through learning experiences in the community (touching animals at the children’s zoo, crunching leaves, taking the bus etc.)
- Take your children to community events and activities designed for families.
- Ask your children to tell you what they are learning in the classroom.
(Source: Suzanne Wagner, 1998 as quoted by Illinois Research Centre)