ESOL Speaks Out:
Family Connections through Home Languages
Hello to all our wonderful ESOL parents! We would like to use this month to focus on the importance of the use of your home language. Did you know that home languages play an important role in maintaining communication and relationships with family and forming your child’s identity? Sharing family histories, experiences, and cultural stories in families’ home languages can strengthen children’s speaking skills. Children can gain a stronger sense of who they are when they have conversations with their families in their home languages. Try to fit in time to share family stories orally, sing favorite songs, read books together in your home language, read signs, labels, or other visuals in the environment, discuss events, stories, movies, or games, show children how to do something, and create art or crafts. Rich cultural interactions can give children a sense of themselves and their primary language skills. Children can master a language and academic learning when their primary language and culture are stronger. Language is, after all, an important part of our identity and communication in the home and at school are key to your child’s success. Keep up the good work at home and feel free to reach out to us anytime through email and/or TalkingPoints (text). We look forward to hearing from you! Kendra Barfield, Amy Clark & Stephanie Ledford
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