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Children benefit enormously from playing games such as card games or board games with other people. These games build on listening skills, vocabulary, comprehension and adhering to rules and all are very valuable skills.
Conversations are extremely important. Children hear sentence structure modelled for them, new vocabulary and its pronunciation and glean knowledge of the topic being discussed.
Children really learn a lot through repetition, be it reading books, playing games, doing activities or going places. They are practising skills they enjoy and refining them and gaining mastery and this takes time.
Children often ask why and this is because they genuinely are not understanding what they are being asked to do or what is going to happen. Explanations teach reasoning and good behaviour.
I spy can be played in the current environment or you can make it more fun by making it imaginary about things your child loves such as dinosaurs or space.
When you want to teach your child new information it is important that new information is relevant and important to them personally, e.g. a child who likes police cars will enjoy a police jigsaw puzzle.
Children love the concept of humour and adults being funny, so when anything that must be done becomes a chore, I like to think of making it funny or creative. For example, boring bath time changes by adding some food colouring.
Reading begins when a child first identifies a symbol as having meaning such as M for McDonald's. No matter where you are, point out things like numbers on buildings or letters, with their sound, as your child is beginning to read.
Phonics is the only way a child can begin to read unless they become whole word readers. That is some children without phonics will memorise whole words so as to be able to start reading. Phonics takes the child from knowing the alphabet / letters by name will never allow them to read, to knowing the sounds which when applied opens the door to reading. From this point children will investigate syllables, sight words and rhyme among other things and the world of knowledge opens for them.
The Language Trail is based very much on school readiness. Children have a number of areas to develop – social/ emotional, physical, communication/ literacy and problem solving. The Language Trail in longer classes is touching on all these area and in shorter classes there is no gross motor skills practised for a segment of time. All of school will be based on literacy during learning times, self control, managing one’s own property, sharing, following procedures and protocol along with the skills of a developed attention span, eye to detail and sequence as well as memory. All these skills are in the Language Trails day to day programs.
Social skills for children will be built upon through turn taking in participation and in conversation, learning self control, listening to another, following instructions, showing kindness, offering advice to another, sharing, and respecting the rights of others.
The term fee includes class materials, which vary according to the class your child attends.
It will usually include items for your child to take home and use for practice so as to develop their new skills and knowledge with you.
The children are offered tuition in a well staffed environment to ensure children get sufficient attention and help as needed.
Children also receive tuition influenced, and based on, world wide studies that have shown, or have proven, there are certain markers and experiences that literacy proficient children/fluent readers received in the early years that enabled that success.
The walls and surrounds have educational value to stimulate enquiry such as planets, clocks, puzzles, numeracy and literacy tools, days of the week, a white board, spaces to put belongings during class and space for a short stretching time between classes of longer times. There is the slightest aroma of lemon in the air which also encourages children to be alert during this time. Plants are present for the green colours and the beauty nature brings to a setting for calm and peace.
We ask that children are toileted before coming to class and we will check the need as class begins. We ask if your child still has accidents at home or when out, they come in a pull up and that we are aware they may need reminding during the course of the classes. Accidents do happen but we want to prevent them so time is not lost by cleaning up the space and so resources are not being removed from use as using materials like specific rugs are essential for these children to learn. Please ensure your child has a change of clothes in their bag should anything at all occur that may require a change of clothes. Unfortunately our staff cannot assist your child with the toileting process. We may only walk them to the toilet and wait outside.
Reminding children of their new knowledge is very important but I believe it should be simple and not arduous for anyone. Learning needs to be direct so there is no possibility of confusion. The other two paramount items for your child to practice are focus and memory. Activities at home will promote these skills among others. It will encourage verbal and visual recall of knowledge and concepts taught in a straightforward manner.
The Language Trail provides something for six days of the week because a day of rest is important. Do what suits your child and family. Some children might be more eager than others and want to practise all the time. The Language Trail suggests monitoring when and how delivery of focused practice takes place so you can tap into your child’s best learning times. If possible, take advantage of a child’s enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and their skills and concepts will develop.
1. Home book — We hope that your child may do the home activities so returning this book allows your child to paste in the material for the week to come. In returning the home book, children can have past work stamped regardless of completion as stamping is to encourage them to bring their books to class also.
2. Water Bottle — Please send a water bottle with your child.
3. Spare knickers and clothes — It’s wise that every child has a change of clothes in case they have a toileting accident or suddenly they become sick and vomit. If they are not yet in knickers then a spare pull up is important.
4. The Language Trail Backpacks — These are essential for every attendance. This is a real tool for school readiness. On the backpack will be a list of items your child will know is to be in their bag. By doing this every week your child will reach a time when this habit of preparing for the next day will be highly prized as a necessary organisational skill.
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