NYM Ministries:Strengthen Your Family Through Language Building (from Today's Native Father #137)

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PRODUCT/RESOURCES INDEX Today's Native Father Archive of Articles Free booklets Marriage/Parenting Tip Calendar of workshops E-mail questions or comments	This article is from Today's Native Father, issue #137, January/February, 2005. Related articles from this issue: Help Your Child Become Fully Bilingual Myths About Bilingualism Power of Life or Death in the Tongue
	Strengthen your family through language-building A Bible study by David Hertzler
	Most children who use language well learned it from their parents. The Bible shows some ways you can develop language skills in your children. 1. Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Talk about your daily activities. Explain how these activities fit into God’s plan for your family. Write God’s commands and promises and put them where everyone can see and read them. Attractive scripture mottos can be purchased in Christian bookstores. 2. Deuteronomy 6:20-25. Explain to your children the reasons for your traditions. Tell the stories behind the traditions. Tell them often. Even if you get tired of telling them, young children never tire of hearing their favourite stories. As they hear the stories, they memorize them until they are able to tell the same stories. Story-telling is also a great way to strengthen your relationship with your children. 3. Deuteronomy 4:9-10. Tell your story about the things that have happened to you, the people you have met, the experiences you have had. Dialogue with the children: “What would you have done if you had been in my place?” Encourage them to ask questions. 4. 1 Chronicles 16:8-13. Sing songs about what God has done for your people. Use songs that have lots of words and a large vocabulary. Teach the songs to your children. This will help them learn to pronounce and use words they may not meet in other activities. 5. Nehemiah 8:1-3. Read aloud to your family. Read the Bible and other great literature. Your children’s use of language will probably not be better than the books they have read. As soon as they can read, listen while they read to you. 6. Acts 20:7-12. Provide opportunities for your children to hear good orators. This young man (also translated “child” or “son”) came to listen to the Apostle Paul, a famous speaker. He fell asleep, not because the sermon was boring but because it was so long. For the activities in this lesson, use both your primary language and the language of the dominant culture in which you live. If you are a language learner yourself, your children may follow your example and master both languages more quickly.
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