Teaching Language Arts
1. Language Arts encompasses a wide variety of skills that we
desire to teach our children, including the following:
reading (sight words, phonics, comprehension), spelling, grammar, and
composition. These skills are related, but they are also
quite different. Depending on your child's interests and
abilities, you may want to avoid insisting that several of these skills
be learned, practiced and perfected at the same time.
2. Reading is not the same thing as writing!
Envision the darling four year old (or six, eight or ten year
old), who only yesterday wanted very much to read, but today, has tears
(or folded arms, or a tantrum) at the very sight of the dreaded language arts
worksheets he has come to hate. Had he
known learning to read meant sitting down for half an hour at a time
with several language arts worksheets to complete - and nary a book in sight,
he might never have desired it! He of course wanted to learn
to read the same way he learned to ride his bike - give it a try, fall
down once or twice and away you go :-).
There are lots of children who enjoy language arts worksheets, but should you find
yourself with the rare boy or girl who would rather be
fishing, flying a kite, jumping, or going to the
dentist, this article is for you :-).
Again, reading and writing are two different skills. If
your child does not enjoy writing, avoid reading
curriculum that utilizes significant amounts of writing as a necessary
component of the program. If you already have a writing
intensive reading curriculum, consider ways to modify it. Can
your child give you the answers verbally? Could you be your
child's scribe? If your primary goal is to teach your child
to read, don't frustrate your efforts (and his!) by insisting that he
practice writing at the same time. Let him enjoy learning to
read. Teach writing in small, tolerable bites - and at a
different time. Please feel free to enjoy the free language arts worksheets I have added to this website with your child.
Unless your child enjoys sitting for extended periods of time, it's OK
to stand, hop on one foot, and move about the cabin :-).
Be creative! You can do it - you were a child once
yourself - you didn't just play one on tv! Read the sentence
and jump up when you hear an adjective! Counting syllables,
clap each one! Be very noisy...then be very quiet...then be
very silly...smile with all your heart... let God's love and grace show
in all you do.
When he grows old he will put away childish things, but for now, he is
your child. Teach him to be obedient and to sit still, so
that when it is necessary he will be able to behave properly.
However, don't overdo this by insisting that he sit still for
4 - 6 hours per day while you complete all of your lessons.
Regularly insisting that your child do more than what he is
reasonably able to do actually teaches him to disobey, because he
learns that your directions are impossible to follow.
In other words, if you know that he can't sit still for all
of your lessons every day, don't instruct him to do it.
Insisting that he obey something which you know to be
impossible teaches disobedience.
3. Writing is not the same thing as reading! There
will be times when your child needs to read several sources to research
a topic and write a paper - but not every time :-). When you
have a young writer, or perhaps a reluctant writer, focus on getting
her to practice writing by any practical means. Does Dad need
to remember 4 critical items to discuss at tomorrow's meeting (or to
bring home from the grocery store)? Could daughter write them
down quickly? (Dad's hands are full with the baby.) Does
daughter want certain details to be remembered for her birthday party? Perhaps she could jot them down for you. Did you watch a fantastic eclipse of the moon this week? (We did!)
What does daughter want to remember about the eclipse? Oh!
Better write it down!
If you are concerned about grammar, consider copywork. (Is there anything mothers' aren't concerned about - don't we want our children to be well versed in every
lofty pursuit?) Have your child copy passages from good books, including the Holy Bible. Short passages at first - remember to teach obedience by giving your child practice in obeying you (not letting her gain more practice in disobedience because she is yet again refusing to complete writing the
entire first chapter of Matthew that you have assigned).
Remember the goal! Slowly, a step at a time, your
child will write two words, then three - then a paragraph.
When this is easier, she is ready for you to teach her even
more. All the while keep reading to her. Write her
a note from time to time. Maybe she will write one to you :-).
4. Remember to pray and enjoy this precious journey.
The goal is not this paragraph or these language arts worksheets- but a
joy-filled life in Christ for this child. The days pass
slowly sometimes, but the years pass quickly. Your child will
develop skills in language arts. He may develop average
grammar skills, yet with the help of an editor, he may write the great
American novel. He may have fantastic grammar skills and
become the editor of the book written by the author of the great
American novel. Or, he may have rather poor grammar skills
and become a king of Wall Street. Who knows? God
knows. He has blessed your child with wonderful skills and
abilities and challenges. He has blessed you with this child.
Years from now, when the grammar has been learned, today's
particular lesson plan will not be remembered. The smiles and
the joy, the messes and the laughter, the prayers and the praises,
create memories that will last a lifetime. |
Letters of the Alphabet!
Fun Writing Prompts and Reports
What in the World's Going On? Current Event Worksheet!
Interest Inventory
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