Mother tongue in the early years
ParentEdge|November - December 2016

English becoming the common language for Indians, though welcome in a way, has also led to some questions – What is the place of the mother tongue? When the father and mother have different mother tongues, is it not better to use English as the common language? Will it be easier for young children to adapt to pre-school if they are spoken to only in English at home? I have interacted closely with many multi-lingual families and firmly believe that young children can be quite comfortable with multiple languages at home. Read on.

Meena Sivaraman
Mother tongue in the early years

Multi-lingual families on the rise

Mixed cultural and regional marriages are much more common these days. Young parents sometimes decide to adopt either of the partner’s mother tongues. Vyom’s mother Kavita decided to speak in Marathi, her husband’s mother tongue, as she wanted one language for communication within the family. In many cases, families opt for a common language, such as Hindi. Both these sets of families, believe that using one language at home makes things simple, for both the children and adults. Many mixed cultural families, on the other hand, have chosen to use both the partners’ languages at home. The father may speak to the children in his mother tongue, and the mother in hers, or they may use both the languages with the children.

Even in the case of families where the partners share the same mother tongue, children are exposed to English at school. In most cities, we find families from different parts of the country – for them, the language spoken outside home – be it Marathi, Kannada, Hindi or Telugu - is not their mother tongue.

Is being multi-lingual hard on children? There is a common perception that in the early years, children are better off speaking one language – at home and at school. Many pre-schools suggest to parents that they speak in English so the child ‘does not struggle’ to follow instructions at school. In fact, many parents, fearing the ‘interaction process’ for admission that is followed at most schools, start speaking to their toddlers in English. This apprehension is expressed to mixed cultural families too – “Won’t your children be ‘confused’ if you speak two languages at home?”

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November - December 2016 من ParentEdge.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November - December 2016 من ParentEdge.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من PARENTEDGE مشاهدة الكل
Releasing Your Teens From Internet Lockdown
ParentEdge

Releasing Your Teens From Internet Lockdown

The new normal demands a large chunk of time to be spent online. For teenagers, time spent in online classes, assignments, project work, homework, tests and exams - all these add up to many hours a day, glued to screens. Furthermore, the current generation's usage of social media and online gaming is increasing day by day. So is parental anxiety about their children's wellbeing. How do parents help their teens and themselves?

time-read
5 mins  |
March - April 2021
Helping Children Manage Big Emotions
ParentEdge

Helping Children Manage Big Emotions

Parenting is a roller-coaster ride filled with loads of fun as well as moments where we feel as if we are walking on eggshells. When our child has an outburst, we either make frantic attempts to soothe them or end up having a fit ourselves. Though it appears as if we are stumbling in the dark when it comes to understanding our child's emotions, there is still hope. When armed with information about how to help them deal with their emotional challenges, we will be able to sit back and enjoy this ride. Read on.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March - April 2021
 HANDLING Fussy Eaters
ParentEdge

HANDLING Fussy Eaters

Fussy eating is a part of normal childhood development — how we handle it will influence our children's future eating habits. Many mothers struggle with their children's eating habits. Some children are fussy eaters, while others are not as troublesome; so is fussy eating something to do with the child, or parents, or both? There is no one right answer, but there are things we can do so as to not fuel this problem further. Read on for some tips on dealing with your child's fussy eating.

time-read
7 mins  |
March - April 2021
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: 6 TO 16 YEARS
ParentEdge

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: 6 TO 16 YEARS

As parents, we eagerly look for the early milestones in our child's life - the first step, the first word. There are other equally important markers, rites of passage into independence, when our children are primary schoolers, adolescents or teens. What are these? When do these typically happen? What should a parent be watchful about? Read on. A child learns to ride a bicycle A teenager takes the local train by himself for parents, these milestones are as important as teaching opportunities as they are occasions to rejoice (with a sense of apprehension, of course). Let us examine some of these:

time-read
6 mins  |
March - April 2021
Cooking up stories together
ParentEdge

Cooking up stories together

Children and stories go together like birds and the open sky. Stories offer a place to soar uninhibited and unrestrained in their flights of imagination.

time-read
5 mins  |
March - April 2021
Books for Children
ParentEdge

Books for Children

Book Reviews

time-read
3 mins  |
March - April 2021
Preventing Obesity In Children
ParentEdge

Preventing Obesity In Children

Obesity in childhood has wide-ranging consequences hypertension, cardiac issues, emotional disturbances such as inappropriate behaviour, relationship problems, depression or an inability to learn.

time-read
2 mins  |
January - February 2021
Managing Exam Stress With Ayurveda
ParentEdge

Managing Exam Stress With Ayurveda

Stress and anxiety could hinder the thinking capability of students, especially in the times of pandemic when there is so much uncertainty around. For teenagers, appearing for exams is not just about the exam preparation but also about taking all the necessary precaution to safeguard their health. Read on.

time-read
4 mins  |
January - February 2021
Safety Products for Children
ParentEdge

Safety Products for Children

It is an undeniable fact that young children are our greatest treasure. The way they are nurtured and protected will have a huge impact on their future as well as society as a whole. So, is it not our foremost duty to safeguard them? Of course it is. That’s why we have featured below a list of products that will not only ensure your child’s physical safety but also give you peace of mind!

time-read
2 mins  |
January - February 2021
Boosting Immunity In Children
ParentEdge

Boosting Immunity In Children

Children who learn to love physical activity in all of its forms will grow up to be adults who are active.

time-read
2 mins  |
January - February 2021