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June 2005
Giving the Gift
Mrs. Donna - North Canton
 “Rat-tat-tat....” Hammer in hand, Olivia mimicked in perfect rhythm words she’d heard only moments before. Though she’d left out a syllable (“rat-A-tat-tat”), she’d impressed everyone in the room! How had she picked it up so quickly?
The ability to repeat phrases didn’t just pop into Olivia’s fourteen month old mind. It had developed over time, with stimulation in utero (hearing is in place during the second trimester) and in infancy. Her parents surrounded her with language, filled their home with singing, and brought her to WeJoySing classes! What a stimulating environment they have provided.
Howard Gardner writes, “the roots of spoken language can be found in the child’s babbling during the opening months of life.”1 At WeJoySing, we encourage cooing with and to our infants, “surrounding them with language.”
“...Language is considered a basic tool of survival...Skilled use of language...is required in order to advance personal...success.” In our society, singing ability is not a survival tool, nor is it required to advance economic success, but because singing “combines the expressive powers of language and music,”2 it contributes wonderfully to language development. (More on Musical Intelligence next month!)
Alice Sterling Honig, PhD refers to giving our little ones the “gift” of language. Honig notes two precious, intertwined gifts: loving-kindness and a command of communication skills. By responding to baby’s expressions of need, we validate her attempts to communicate. “Your clear words and loving talk [help baby] to make sense of this new world.”3
Parents love to give good gifts to their children. They spend an average $743 per year on toys.4 Paula Bock of The Seattle Times puts that into perspective. “There’s no scientific research showing commercial products will make babies smarter, happier, or more compassionate.” Bock cites the research of Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl (Univ. of Wash.) which shows that babies learn best from adults in relaxed settings, wherein parents do what comes naturally: “Talk, coo, play with....baby in a loving way.”5
“Giving” Language
- Chatter: Talk about your child’s gestures, actions, about yourself, all you do.
- Speak soprano: Mothers naturally use high-pitched “mother-ese” which teaches language. Babies light up!
- Label in Word & Song: Infants understand nouns before verbs. Sing about body parts, toys, items you see at home or on an outing.
- Use Signs:6 Babies develop “receptive language” more readily than “expressive language.” Language is understood before it is spoken; babies can communicate in sign at 8-12 months.
- Read: Infants: board books with 1-2 images per page. Talk & sing about the pictures. Explore more detailed pictures as child grows.
Fill in the Blank: 1-3 year olds: leave off the last word for them to complete. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little _____!”
- Encourage “Higher Level” Play: Help your 3-5 year old develop language and literacy skills by reenacting a favorite story and adding new characters and scenes. Non-realistic props are best, requiring imagination and explanation.
- Sing: Be expressive, playful, and imitate nonsense syllables. (Remember the maracas and “ba-ba-ba-ba-bobbity-o” from winter session?) Adapt songs to everyday situations (“Toys away, Toys away...”) to teach language and make life joyful for children of all ages.
A Note from Mrs. Jo
WeJoySing programs are based on the Kodály approach to music education. Kodály said that we should give only the highest quality of music to our children in early childhood. He defined this as the traditional children’s folk song, nursery rhyme, and game. These hold the rhythmic patterns of our “Mother Tongue,” the English language.
No wonder Rat-a-tat-tat is such a “hit” at WeJoySing! The rhyme accompanied by the hammer is a great “tool” for developing linguistic intelligence. So hammer away, Rat-a-tat-tat all day!
"Sing"cerely,
Mrs. Jo
Resources and Recommended Reading:
1. Gardner, Howard. Frames of Mind New York: Basic Books, 1983, p. 79.
2. Thurman, Dr. Leon, HeartSongs, p. 17.
3. Honig, Alice Sterling, PhD. “Giving the Gift of Language” Scholastic Parent & Child, October, 1993, p.21. Author of Talking with Your Baby: Family as the First School
4. Parenting, March 2005
5. Bock, Paula, “Baby Brain” Seattle Times. January, 2005.
6. Baby Signs: How to Talk with your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk Linda P. Acredolo, PhD. and Susan Goodwyn, PhD, with Douglas Abrams, video available.
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