Bilingualism and our kids with Trisomy 21

Based on my own experience raising my son, with Trisomy 21, being simultaneously bilingual has more advantage than disadvantage. Hearing two languages at home is a factor that has helped Tommy in his Speech because he has to process two set of sounds, which strength his auditory processing more than if he would be exposed to just one language. Speech is his strength in the area of communications. So why not to take advantage of raising him bilingual. We don't have to paid for Spanish classes. It's a natural and on going simulation that I am seeing results without the pressure of doing therapy or dedicating time to help him to learn Spanish. My long term goal, for both of my kids, is that they can learn a third language into the Roman Languages. I can naturally understand a little bit of  Italian and Portuguese, and a little of French, but it is harder than Italian and Portuguese. This is because I speaks two Roman Languages.

Currently, there are not much reaseach or teaching guidence to help our kids with Trisomy 21 two learn a second language. But there many multicultural families who has gone against what their Speech Therapist has advised to not teach a second language to a child with Trisomy 21. Those parents has proven to the world how wrong was to think that a child with Trisomy 21 couldn't learn 2 or more languages, because there are kids with Tridomy 21 who have learned more than 2 languages.

I don't have a teaching method.  The key for learning a second language is constantly listening to the second language. I just talk, read and sing in Spanish as much as I can when I am home with the kids. I have to tell I am very proud that both of my kids understand Spanish very well, considering I am the only one that talks to them in Spanish. So consistency is other important factor in helping a child with Trisomy 21, or any child, to learn a second language.

A few tips to keep going the second spoken language at your home:
1. Build a library with book and songs in the second language
2. keeps the books in place where you and the kids spend a lot of time together
3. Ask relatives for books in the second language as Birthday or Christmas gifts.

Information about bilingualism and kids with Trisomy 21

Language Learning in Four Bilingual Children with Down Syndrome: A Detailed Analysis of Vocabulary and Morphosyntax

Can Children with Down Syndrome learn more than one language?

Bilingual Children with Down Syndrome

Can Children with Language Impairment Learn Two Languages

THINK AGAIN, Children with Down Syndrome can Become Multilingual

Based on my own experience, both of my kids should learn both languages because they are part of a multicultural family, My family just speaks Spanish and my husband's family just speaks English, how cruel it would be to insulate Tommy from one family or the other just because he has Trisomy 21.  My mom doesn't see her grant kids quite often because she leaves in other country, and she just speaks Spanish. I cannot tell my mom, who loves Tommy so much, that she won't never be available to communicate with his grandson in Spanish just because he has Down syndrome. How cruel would be thinking in this way for Tommy and my mom because they have have a special bond, and they communicate very well, he perfectly understand when she speaks Spanish to him, no doubt about it. We don't put limits on Tommy just because he has Trisomy 21. He has the right to enjoy being part of multicultural family, as his younger brother. By the way, he doesn't have the American accent when he says words in Spanish and he doesn't have the Spanish accent when he says words in English. We are very proud of Tommy's bilingual skills.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!

Teaching to read

Wow! Teaching to read! I honestly think that teaching to read any child is a challenge. I have taken the challenge to teach Tommy to read. So I am using mixed resources to teach Tommy to read because these teaching methods are easy, don't required much time and are fun. Because it is proven kids with Trisomy 21 learn to read and then they learn to speak, I have my hands on to help to Tommy to speak. The teaching methods I am using are:

• Technology. We have to admit technology makes our lives easier, so I have to take advantage of that to keep helping Tommy and keep working full time. I am using different sight reading apps. So Tommy and I can practice our sight works everywhere we go. There are special characteristics I look in the sight reading/flash-card apps, those are: an option to shuffle the cards, an option to present the flash-cards very quick, different presentations for the same work, incorporated sounds and an extensive variety of categories. Soon, Tommy will get his iPad, so it will take our teaching method to the next level. I am using BillKids app as our favorite app. 
• Improving Auditory processing with Phonic Awareness. Tommy's former Speech Therapist introduced the ZooPhonics to us for helping Tommy with his speech development and it has been working really good for him. It is proven that good speech is linked to good spelling. I am not into teaching Tommy phonics, but I am into train his auditory processing to distinguish sounds and Zoophonics is just perfect for it. The best his auditory processing is, the better he will pronounce speech sounds.

Other reason, I feel confident to teach Tommy to read is that he enjoys books since he was a newborn. His motivator when he was learning to sit it was "Books" instead toys. I have heard many comments from therapists, teachers and relatives how much Tommy loves books and how much he enjoys to be read. Lately, he has been interested in reading Spanish books. He picks the books from his book basket and hand them to me to read before bed time. So teaching him to read is the right thing to do for him. I am anxious to see how many words he will read in the coming months. I know Tommy recognizes some printed words and I am almost sure he can sight read some words he has picked up from reading, flash-cards, educational videos and school; but, I will be sure when the times comes. Meanwhile, I am just teaching and not testing.

If Tommy wouldn't have a genetic disorder, I will wait until the average age where kids learn to read. But I have done my search and I know learning to read is beneficial for him. Would I teach Francis to read at an early age? I don't think so, but it will happen because he is always around when I am doing play therapy with Tommy, so he will pick it by just being around.

Tommy showed earlier interest in books than Francis.

Francis is just starting to get interested in books.

I like the idea my kids like books because

books are the door for knowledge.

31 for 21: Tommy's Speech (Part 2)

I am very proud of my boy! His Speech therapist thinks that Tommy's speech is advanced for his age. She mentioned in our conversation that many typical kids the same age than Tommy don't have all the Speech sounds Tommy has. If a child don't have all the speech sounds before seven, there is nothing to be worry about it because it is considered in the 'normal' range. Thinking in her words, I remember it is not the first time I have heard or realized this. I think Tommy's advanced speech is due to many factors, but the most important factor is that he has been blessed with the ability of "imitation" that opens the doors for learning.  This a skill we discovered in Tommy since he was very little.

When he wants to say a new word, he deeply focused in the person's mouth. He looks very focused at the lips movement and he mimics the movement of person's lips. People that knows Tommy knows he likes to practice his speech sounds in front of the mirror. When there is a word he cannot say, he practices that word for days, weeks and even months until he can clearly say it. It is something he enjoys!

Factors have influenced Tommy's speech

• Being raised in a multicultural environment where he hears two languages, English and Spanish. For example: For a monolingual child the sound for the letter "l" is just "l", for Tommy is "l" and "elle."
• Being exposed to listening to different languages, such as: Native american, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese among others. It is not for him to learn the language, it's to train his mind to differentiate the sounds. 
• Listening to letter sounds since he was a baby. When Tommy was a baby, I used to say all the Spanish vowel sounds just for him to listen. When he was getting older, I added more sounds. Specially, the sounds that are commonly hard for a child with Trisomy 21, such as: f, l, r, s, v, x and z. Here a video of Tommy doing the Spanish "R" sound when he was a baby. The Spanish R sound wasn't teach to Tommy, he picked it up by just listening to me talking in Spanish.
• Learning the short sounds of the alphabet with the Zoo-phonics. Tommy does most of the short sounds for the alphabet. Lately, I have heard him clearly saying the letter "Z" short sound. 
• Learning to use a straw cup, as well as, blowing bubbles at a very young age.

I never thought this will help Tommy to have advanced Speech sounds, I just did it because I want to exposed him to the speech sounds so it could help him with his speech intelligibility. Some how it is working because I have heard several comments of people that they understand what he says.

Related Articles:
Our art of language -Learning the alphabet

Oral Motor

31 for 21: Tommy's Speech

This year hasn't been easy for Tommy. But regardless all the challenges he is facing, his speech seems to be his strength in the area of communication, according to his current Speech/Language Therapist. Since the middle of May, Tommy speech has increased. He is repeating a lot after us. Once an while, it seems we are communicating. One day, my husband and I were talking during dinner time how much we love our kids and Tommy looked at  both of us and said: I love you!

He loves to sing, and he is incorporating more real words into his singing time (which is all day long). So I am also singing more with him to introduce new concepts and words. Currently, Tommy says about 200 words, but he doesn't use them very often. But it makes very happy when I hear comments from people at school that they can understand what he is saying. The other day, someone told me that she heard Tommy counting in Spanish (uno, dos, tres). She asked him: Tommy, what are you doing? Are you counting in Spanish? and she counted in Spanish and he repeated after her. She was very excited for him, so am I. This person didn't know I am teaching him to count in Spanish and she understood what he was saying.

To help Tommy to increase his vocabulary, I am using signs again because he learns the words faster with the signs. So I am debating if I should get a bigger baby signing time DVD set. Currently, I am using the DVDs we have since he was a baby.  I also put a signing time chart on my refrigerator, so I can remember the signs to talk to Tommy using the signs.

My first workbooks

“The most important thing in the world is to open up new worlds for our children to explore.”

Toru Kumon

Searching for books that support Tommy’s learning skills, I found the Kumon workbooks. I bought 2 workbooks from the First Steps series: Let’s Color and Let’s Cut. These books are designed for young children, aged 2 and up, to make them comfortable with the tools they will use at school. These books have been a great help to introduce drawing, coloring and cutting with scissors to Tommy. They are a great source of stimulation for language development and fine motor skills. When I work with Tommy, I keep the activity short by doing one sheet per day as often as possible. I date the sheets every-time we do a project because it helps me to realize if we need to work more often with the kumon workbooks.  

What is Kumon?

"Toru Kumon created the Kumon Method in the early 1950s to teach his son at home. Kumon [koo-mon] Publishing North America (KPNA) was founded in 2004 but has educational roots reaching back fifty years. KPNA is the English-language subsidiary of Kumon Publishing Co., Ltd., one of the best-selling producers of children’s educational books in Japan. Our parent company, Kumon, is also parent to Kumon Math & Reading Centers, the world’s largest supplemental learning provider..." ~www.kumonbooks.com

Kumon Workbooks

"Kumon workbooks and learning aids introduce basic learning skills to children aged 2 and up. Subjects covered include early learning and fine motor control skills; verbal skills; and math skills.

The Kumon method is what makes our workbooks so unique and effective. This Method is a proven learning system developed to help each child reach his or her full potential. Concepts are introduced in a step-by-step manner that allows the child to master each in turn without getting frustrated. Before long, children gain confidence in their abilities and are motivated to learn on their own." ~www.kumonbooks.com

Kumon Learning program

Kumon offers an after-school math and reading program designed for kids of all abilites, wich means this is an individualized program that works for advanced kids who need to be challenged or kids who need help catching up. The program is design to start with easy steps, so the child builds confidence by learning basic concepts before moving on. The child will advance in the program in their own pace step-by-step until the child masters each concept with a perfect score on the worksheets, then, the child will continue with the next level. To get a perfect score is important to practice every day for short period of time, practice makes perfection. 

Tommy's Drawing Projects

Tommy's Cutting Projects

The Kumon workbooks have been a great source to introduce Tommy to tools he will constantly use at preschool. Tommy keeps improving on his drawing and cutting skills. He tries to imitate the illustration from the Kumon books with my encouragement. Before every drawing session, I search for videos or graphic sources that represent the word we will be drawing. On the other hand, Tommy can independently squeeze the scissors to snip and cut straight lines, but he needs more practice on holding the paper and grasping the scissors by himself. His teacher tried for the first to help Tommy cutting with scissors at the class and this what she wrote in our journal:

March 25th, 20011

Thanks for the scissors. He was very independent when squeezing. I help hold the paper steady. He applied the glue with the stick himself. He read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom twice. He initiated a fun game of peekaboo from behind me! Miss M.

Tommy is having a good start at preschool and we will continue supporting his teachers and him to make a smoothly transition into the preschool settings. 

We may look into enrolling Tommy in the after school Kumon program, there are several centers around our area. But before, we would like to hear about your experience with the Kumon after school program if you have enrolled your child in this program.

Tommy is simultaneous Bilingual

The dream for a great future for our son has never changed. Maybe along the way, we have to do modifications or adaptations to our expectations, but we always keeps our high expectations for him. The fact he has a genetic disorder doesn't discourage us that one day our son will fluently speak in English and Spanish. We were discouraged to teach Tommy two languages by a speech pathologist who did an observation on Tommy's speech development when he was 6 month old —an observation instead of an evaluation because he was too little for doing an evaluation. But nothing stopped me to keep improving Tommy's bilingual skills.


Tommy currently has the faculty to simultaneous translate from one language to the other, for example: When we ask him '¿Quién es mi niño?' (Who is my boy?) and he verbally has answered in English 'me' (yo) a few times and signs 'me' most of the time. The sign for 'me' was taught in English, never in Spanish. He doesn't answer the question in Spanish, but he knows the meaning in his dominant language, English. This confirms that his brain is making simultaneous translations. He also follows instructions in both languages. See the video below. 


Why do I teach two languages to my son?
Tommy is member of a multicultural family; therefore, he is simultaneously learning two language at the same time since birth and it is not by choice. When a child learns two languages since birth, he or she is considered simultaneous bilingual.


My family speaks just Spanish and my husband's family speaks just English. I cannot dinned one family or the other to communicate with him. Strong family ties are important for a child development; therefore, we won't exclude our son of enjoying his multicultural background just because he has Trisomy 21. 


Does bilingualism create language confusion?
The fear of many parents and speech/language pathologists is that the child would experience language confusion due to the exposure to two languages. According to a current research in this matter by Kendall King and Lyn Fogle at the Georgetown University, "the ability to switch back and forth between languages, sometimes called code-switching, is a a sign of mastery of two linguistic systems, not a sign of language confusion." Click here to read the full story.


Why bilingualism is beneficial for my son who has a genetic disorder?
I have solid reasons in thinking that bilingualism is beneficial for my son based on scientist researches. As we know, a person with Trisomy 21 is at a greater risk for dementia and Alzheimer. A recent research has found that being bilingual may delay Alzheimer's and boost brain power. According to a recently publication in guarduan.co.uk:

Learning a second language and speaking it regularly can improve your cognitive skills and delay the onset of dementia, according to researchers who compared bilingual individuals with people who spoke only one language.

Their study suggests that bilingual speakers hold Alzheimer's disease at bay for an extra four years on average compared with monoglots. School-level language skills that you use on holiday may even improve brain function to some extent.

In addition, bilingual children who use their second language regularly are better at prioritising tasks and multitasking compared with monolingual children, said Ellen Bialystok, a psychologist at York University in Toronto.

"Being bilingual has certain cognitive benefits and boosts the performance of the brain, especially one of the most important areas known as the executive control system," said Bialystok on Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC.

...switching between different languages seems to stimulate the brain so that it builts up a cognitive reserve. "It is rather like a reserve tank in a car. When you run out of fuel, you can keep going for longer because there is a bit more in the safety tank." Click here to read the full story.

What is the personal experience of other parents raising a bilingual child who has Trisomy 21?

"We went against the speech therapist’s advice because it was clear to us that our daughter understood both languages although she couldn’t, at the time, say a word. Actually she mostly made sort of barking noises J. I am totally convinced that using 2 languages constantly actually helped in the forming of the synapses in the brain. Bilingual children talk later anyway…I have 4 and my daughter is the youngest so I do have some personal experience. The older 3 all speak 3 or 4 languages and she is happy to read/write/watch tv etc. and chat in 2 and really enjoyed learning a third while she had the opportunity.

We live in a bilingual environment so there was no actual “learning” going on , just normal everyday behaviour i.e. everyone in the family and around us moved from one language to the next without thinking.

Often you are advised to have each parent speaking their own language…we didn’t nor did we sign. It all took time. BUT we got there in the end and she’s really pretty fluent in both and totally comprehensible."

~Harriet L.

My son bilingual skills has brought me to search for more information about bilingualism in Kids with Trisomy 21. There are not much information about bilingualism in kids with Trisomy 21 (T21). Howsoever, there are good enough information for me to continue teaching my son two languages at the same time.


There are much work to do in discovering better teaching methods for simultaneous bilingual children with Trisomy 21. Right now, most parents in the journey of teaching two or more languages to their children with Trisomy 21 just have the support of each other because the lack of understanding for many professionals that don't belive biligualism is benefitial for kids with Trisomy 21 because of the speech/language challenges. Howsoever, there are more professionals getting interested in bilingualism in kids with Trisomy 21. I think in 20 years from now many things will change in the benefit of multicultural families who are raising simultaneous bilingual children with a genetic disorder.

Enjoy the video of Tommy's bilingual skills

I have become a member of an 

online group of parents who have 

bilingual or multilingual kids with Trisomy 21.

"The sky is the limit."

Boomb! Vacabulary Explossion

Since Tommy was a baby I tried to get services for Speech therapy. I knew other infants with the same diagnosis than my son were receiving Speech Therapy. I requested Speech therapy through the Early Intervention Program (EIP), but it was denied because Tommy's Pragmatics skills, according to a private paid evaluation, were in the 9-12 month level and Gesture skills were emerging at the 9-12 month level when he was 8 month. When Tommy was 13 month, we did other private paid evaluation because I observed lack of expressive communication, even although he was saying "mama", "dada" and "hi"; He was also signing "more" and all done". But he wasn't combining gesture with pointing! The evaluation showed Tommy's receptive language was in the average range, but his expressive communication was delay. Currently, the gap between our son's expressive and receptive language communication is huge.

Tommy has received Speech therapies from the EIP and private paid therapists. All his therapists agree Tommy has good receptive language comprehension. Since he said his first word "Hi" beside mama and dada at his 13 months, his expressive language communication has slowly progressed. But I am conscious that he is being raised in a bilingual environment, which is making it harder for him. But my husband and I decided to take advantage of mother nature because babies have a natural faculty to understand any language until they are about 6 months old, after this, the brain shots it down. But if the baby keep listening more than one language, the comprehension for these languages naturally keep progressing.

Since Tommy began to independently walk five moths ago, we has noticed his expressive communication began to progress a little faster. Last week, Tommy added 6 new words to the list, those are: purple, red, kick, walk, world and guapo (handsome). His Speech Therapist thinks Tommy is holding the word he knows off for her. I agree because it is the same pattern we have observed in his gross motor skills.

• Tommy has a vocabulary of 70 words, but he constantly hear 38 words. The words are there it is just matter of time when he decides to constantly use them.
• Tommy says 9 expression, but he constantly use 8.
• Tommy says 11 sounds (animals/vehicles) and he constantly use all of them.
• Tommy has combined two-words, but it has been inconsistent.
  

Tommy's expressive communication skills
keep progressing which is the most
important for us.

Toilet Learning is Fun!

Tommy has shown physical readiness for toilet learning since the beginning of the year. By that time, I was excited with the idea of toilet learning and I assisted to a toilet learning class sponsored by Parents as teachers last March. The class was very instructive and it made me realize we should hold off on toilet learning because Tommy wasn't walking yet, even although he had some physical readiness to start. About two months ago, our OT suggested to start potty training and I decided to give it a try because I knew Tommy has the physical readiness necessary to initiate the toilet learning process.

We took Tommy with us to purchase the potty chair. In our search for a potty chair, We found Elmo Potty Chair —3-in-1 chair, seat and stool. This potty chair offers ten encouraging phrases in English, Spanish and Frensh and it comes with A Sesame Street Mini-Book and 20 colorful stickers. I use those features to encourage language development and fine motor skills. I mimic Elmo's voice and repeat the phrases, which it is funny for Tommy, so he can see the motion of my lips and tongue and he put the stickers all by himself on the book practicing pincer grasp and wrist rotation. We also got some potty learning books because Tommy is a book lover. These activities make potty learning fun! Learning to use the potty should be a positive experience for kids and parents.

I was insecure of my parenting skills about how to initiate toilet learning with Tommy. So, I talked to our DT and she suggested do it as a routine in the morning and evening. So far, so good! He is enjoying potty time in the morning and the evening because he likes his chair. He keeps giving Elmo a high five every time he is on the chair, and after he is done, I allow him to down the flush handle. Because He is becoming verbal, I am also encouraging him to say pee and poop when he goes, he repeats them after me and smile. He also takes the toilet paper, I guess because daddy is his role model. I let him to try to roll the paper, but I will take this step without any hurry.

Toilet learning is different from toilet training because toilet training is a process that the adult direct to a child; toilet learning is when the child is involve in their own learning while having fun. Toilet learning starts with readiness signs that tell if the child is ready to use the toilet. Learning will happen when parents teach in a way that does not punish. The child should learn to listen to their bodies, to take their own clothes off with a little help, and to feel good about learning "go potty." The toilet learning goal is that the child feels proud of what he or she has done, which plays an important role in the child’s self esteem, so genuine and enthusiastic verbal praises are important. During toilet learning, there are only lessons and not accidents, the child learns from it.

Getting ready

• Begin to introduce the concepts wet, dry, clean, duty before starting potty training.
• Encourage your child get familiar with the potty chair before. We let Tommy to seat on chair a few times before he actually used it. I am also planing to pretend play "go potty" with his stuffed animals and his boy-doll that has a little potty chair.
• Teach the child to wash his hands before the toilet learning process.

• Read potty training books 6 weeks or so before starting the toilet learning process.

Signs of readiness

According to the book "The Wonder Years":

Between 18 month to two years, children often start to show signs of readiness, but some children may not be ready until two and half years or older.

Is my child ready?

There are a number of signs that will alert you to when your child may be ready to start using the potty. Some your will notice, others will be brought to your attention!

What you will notice:

• Your child's bowel movements occur on a fairly regular and predictable schedule.

• His diaper is not always wet. Young toddlers urinate often. If diapers remain dry for a couple of hours at a time it suggests that the frequency of urination is slowing.

• Your child is able to follow simple instructions, walk to the bathroom (or potty), and can help undress himself.

What your child may do:

• Get upset when he has dirty diaper.

• Show signs that he knows that he is about to go in his diaper, such as hiding behind the couch or squatting in a corner.

• Come to tell you or give a sign when he has passed urine or a bowel movement.

• Go and get the potty.

• Sit on the potty —possible with his diaper on.

• Follow your into the toilet to see what happens.

When you have a child with Trisomy 21 is really hard to know when the child is ready. In our son's case it has been the physical readiness the main indicator that he is ready. But I also think he is emotionally ready because he is having fun and patient while he seats on the potty. We are not sure if it has been good luck or if Tommy is actually understanding this concept, but he has used the potty chair since we started on Saturday night (October 2nd.) He has done both, #1 and #2, actually on Sunday was his #1 in the potty chair for the first time. He may be ready for learning "go potty" on his own, but we don't know how long it will take; however, we are so excited he has initiated toilet learning as a big boy.

Our art of language -Learning the alphabet

By the middle of May, we started to work with a new Speech Therapist (SP). The method she uses to increase speech production with the kids she works with is called ZooPhonics.

"Zoo-phonics is a complete language arts program that teaches using a cast of 26 Animal/Letter characters, using a whole-brain, kinesthetic approach. Whole-brain learning uses techniques that integrate the imaginative brain skills with the analytical and language skills. Kinesthetic learning deals with body and movement, learning and knowing through physical activity and motion. Simple strategies can make better use of the whole brain and can dramatically improve learning and performance skills...With Zoo-phonics, children learn to read and spell through their eyes, mouth, ears and body. If one perceptual channel is weak, there are three other channels to take over and support the weak one. For example, if a child has an auditory deficit, his/her eyes, mouth and body will take over and help him or her to access, understand, memorize, use and transfer the new information. Children learn though Zoo-phonics when no other program works. The colorful Animal Letters and Body Movements (Signals) engage the child and hold his or her attention. Because the curriculum is so playful, children not only want to learn, their behavior improves because the children are on task and happy while learning through Zoo-phonics. Instead of telling children to “sit down and be quiet” we encourage them to wiggle their hands and body and make sounds (letter sounds)!"

~www.zoophonics.com

Essential kit to star ZooPhonics

Since the first day our Speech therapist showed the ZooPhonic to our son, he said several short sounds of the animal/letters alphabet. He was saying many short sounds of the animal/letters alphabet by the 3rd session with our SP. He is saying most of the alphabet in short sounds when I just showed the letter or when he sees the ZooPhonic video. He is also anticipating what sounds comes next while we do the letters with the flash cards. He is beginning to recognize the alphabet letters at the same time. The progress we has seen in his speech production has been enormous and in a short period of time since we started the ZooPhonics program. We have still to work on some sounds, but some of them are later sounds.

Video of Tommy doing the short sounds of the alphabet.

This video doen't display all the alphabet sounds Tommy does.

Animal/Letter short sounds Tommy says:

a, b, c, d, e, g, h, i, j, k, m, n, o, p, s, t, u, w and y.

We replaced the short "n" sound for "naah" to make it easier for him.

Approximated Animal/Letter short sounds Tommy says:

f, l, r and z. Tommy does the spanish r sound, but he doesn't

the "r" English sound yet.

Animal/Letter short sounds Tommy doesn't say yet:

q, v, and x

ZooPhonics is indisputably a language art program because of the excellent design of the animal/letters character that engage kids into recognizing the alphabet, reading, spelling and writing.

We have also incorporated to our art of language the Write and Erase set cards by Brain Quest for ages 2+ to trace letters. When I found these cards I wasn't sure Tommy was ready for them; even although, it says in the box 2+. I told our ST about the Brain Quest cards she said why not to use it as a complement of the ZooPhonic because the Brain Quest cards also used the shorts sounds that Tommy is learning with the Zoo-phonic. I bought the set phonics and Alphabet cards, and for my surprise, tracing the letters with guidance is an activity that Tommy has the patient to do, but I keep it short, so we just trace the vowels. I think this cards are complete educational becaue incorporates several senses while the child learns as the Zoo-phonic. According to the Brain Quest website, these cards will help teaching the child to read and write using phonics. Writing-in letters helps your child sound out and recognize simple words. Enhance fine motor skills, build confidence through practice and help preschoolers get read for school; while it allows me incorporate the kinesthetic approach from the Zoo-phonic cards.

Video of Tommy traces letters with guidance.

Music enriches language development

I am exploring every possible way to stimulate my son in every aspect of his development. My desire to help him, as much as I can, has brought me to find useful information that is molding the way I teach him, such as: Born to Sing: How Music Enriches Children's Language Development by Ann Gadzikowski, former Grants Coordinator, Chicago Children's Museum. Below is a fragment of the article:

When I was a preschool teacher, I had a child named Lizzy in one of my classes. She rarely spoke. At three years old, Lizzy usually communicated with me by tugging on my sleeve and pointing her finger at what she wanted. Yet I wasnít at all worried about Lizzy. My confidence in her was so strong because I knew there would be at least one time every day when I would be sure to hear her voiceóduring music time. Quiet Lizzy came alive whenever she heard music. She clapped, she danced, she even sang along to class favorites such as "The Wheels on the Bus" and "This Old Man." Her favorite song was "Where is Thumbkin?"

Eventually, Lizzy did begin to speak and soon was able to talk and communicate like other kids her age. She taught me that music is a powerful tool for giving a voice to a quiet child.

All children benefit from experiences with music. Music enhances learning, especially language development. Children's experiences with music build vocabulary, listening skills, and language acquisition.

Parenting is not that easy, but it is fun! Having my child has made part of my childhood comes back. I think I am experiencing a second childhood through my son with the American style. He will go to pre-school next year and I want him to be familiar with the popular American children songs. So, I have to learn the songs to sign to my son because I wasn't born in the USA I am not familiar with popular children's songs.

I got a radio for Tommy a couple of months ago because the ones he had where for babies and they were to basic for him. I started my search and I found The Little Tunes MP3 player by Blue hat Toy Company. The sound quality is good because it is not too loud and even the highest volume decibel. The bottoms are toddler friendly, which make it fun for Tommy because he turns the volume up and down, turns it off and on, and switches the songs. It can be used with headphones and download music to the radio.This is a real radio!

After I got the radio, I didn't know the songs. Then, I began to search for lyrics and I found www.kididdles.com, the best in children's music. In this website, you can find songs to listen to with the lyrics to read. They have a selection of 2,000 of the most popular children's songs, organized by alphabetical and subject order. It also has free download for the song sheets and music sheets.

The little Tunes radio and www.kididdles.com

are the perfect combination for hours of fun.

Tommy and I are learning the song

Six little ducks.

	Six little ducks .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine