development

Effect of Vowel Shapes on Consonant Sounds.

Jj is for Jottings 102.  Effect of Vowel Shapes on Consonant Sounds.

Following on from the previous article on Vowel Shapes, we will talk about the effect of vowel shapes on consonant sounds.  This is especially important in sound production for speech therapy and also useful when learning sound-letter links.  If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you read the previous article first, to make sense of what follows.

Picture of alpaca with mouth half open and the caption: This vowel shape is /ah/. It doesn't have much effect on any consonant sounds.

Effects of vowel shapes on consonant sounds.  This vowel is /ah/. It doesn’t have much effect on any consonant sounds because it is quite neutral in shape.

Here are some common examples of how the vowel shape can influence the production of a consonant.  This is not an exhaustive list, but these are major examples which crop up all the time. Continue reading →

The Effects of Screen Time on Children.

Jj is for Jottings 90.  The Effects of Screen Time on Children.

Picture of 4 children on a haystack with caption: Avoiding the effects of screen time on children - Zara, Amy, Seth and Zack reading "Aa is for Alpacas" AND outside.

Avoiding the effects of screen time on children – Zara, Amy, Seth and Zack reading “Aa is for Alpacas” AND outside.

 

By now, there have been many studies done on the effects of screen time on children.  My own observations on this subject are here and here.  And here is an article on parental concerns about screen time.  So, let’s have a look at some of the recent research. Continue reading →

Communication Milestones.

Jj is for Jottings 68. Communication Milestones.

Here is a chart put together by a group from Queensland and the National Office of Speech Pathology Australia which you may find useful.

Here is the link if you want to print copies.
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/milestones

Raising A Reader Part 4: Early Readers.

Jj is for Jottings 64.  Raising a Reader Part 4: Early Readers.

Continuing from

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-1-the-baby/

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-2-toddlers/ and

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-3-emerging-readers/, your child has now begun to read Continue reading →

Raising a Reader Part 3: Emerging Readers.

Jj is for Jottings 63.  Raising a Reader Part 3:  Emerging Readers.

Continuing from the two previous articles

https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-1-the-baby/  and https://educatingalpacas.com/raising-a-reader-part-2-toddlers/,

this next stage is the magical time when your child starts to take an interest in letters and words and begins to make out words for himself, in books or real life such as street signs. Continue reading →

Raising a Reader Part 2. Toddlers.

Jj is for Jottings 62.  Raising a Reader Part 2.  Toddlers.

Continuing from the previous article (here), you cannot overestimate the importance of reading with a child at the toddler stage – for intellectual, social and emotional development.  They take in everything: vocabulary and language structure, numbers and math concepts, colours, shapes, opposites and many other language concepts, animals, manners and all kinds of useful information about how the world works. What’s more, when you read out loud, Continue reading →

3 More Techniques for Helping Your Child’s Language.

Jj is for Jottings 56.  3 More Techniques for Helping Your Child’s Language.

We used all these language techniques with our “children”, but it seems that they still have too much screen time.

This follows on from Jottings 55, so you will need to read that first. (See https://educatingalpacas.com/general-language-stimulation-technique-1-modelling/).  I decided to combine the last three techniques into one article: Continue reading →

Helping Your Child’s Language – Technique 1: Modelling.

Jj is for Jottings 55.  Helping Your Child’s Language – Technique 1: Modelling.

Shikha and Shanti as kittens. They have to be careful when in the paddock with the alpacas because the alpacas will sometimes chase them. Although we refer to them as “the kids”, we didn’t have to bother with language modelling for them. Besides, they’re Burmese, and I wouldn’t know which language to model!

There are several ways in which parents naturally encourage the development of children’s language in conversation, and you may be using some or all of them without being aware of it.  Continue reading →

Should I Correct My Child’s Speech?

Jj is for Jottings 54.  Should I Correct My Child’s Speech?

This is Linguine, Kieran’s Murray Darling carpet python. The pic I really wanted was too blurry. Shikha caught a 23 cm long baby brown snake last week and brought it to the front door step to play with. Having just stepped out of the shower I snatched him inside and dressed hastily. When I returned it was nowhere in sight. I found it wriggling around in David’s boot, on the step below! Taking photos inside boots doesn’t work too well. Great composition – reared up with its mouth gaping open – but blurry. Linguine said he’d be happy to stand in (and he’s beautiful and harmless).

 

Many parents these days are concerned that they will somehow damage their child’s psyche if they correct their speech and language Continue reading →

Rhyming, Climbing, Miming… (Part 1)

Jj is for Jottings 50.  Rhyming, Climbing, Miming… (Part 1)

Geisha had a little cria,
But in this pic you cannot see ‘er!
(With thanks to David for this one.)

 

Children are not often introduced to nursery rhymes, these days, and in fact most seem to have little exposure to rhymes in their early childhood.  People seem to think that the old-fashioned nursery rhymes are silly and don’t make sense Continue reading →