Monday 4 February 2013

Stumbling Block

I'm feeling a little at sea today and would really appreciate any guidance any of you guys might have.

I've been flirting with the idea of teaching Poppette her alphabet. Not in a formal drill table type way but through crafts and colouring and the like. I had initially intended to teach her the French alphabet whilst letting Papa and nursery teach her the English one. Then I started to worry a little; what if learning both at the same time was just plain confusing? Also... how do the French teach their alphabet? I know the English alphabet is taught using phonics these days... I'd need to do some research into how it works in France if I were to go ahead.

Anyhow, today I called Poppette's nursery and asked when and how they go about it. It appears that I'm a little ahead of the curve and that typically they wouldn't start teaching Poppette (who is now 27.5 months) for roughly 6 months and, even, then it would be a very slow introduction. That said, they did say that if a child shows interest then it's great to let them learn earlier but the danger is that, if they don't like it, it could put them off good and proper!

What to do?

What do other people do?

What do you do?

Today is one of those days where I need to reach out and ask for your advice or even just some information about how it works in your family.

17 comments:

  1. I've tried teaching my daughter the letters, when she was 2 yrs and a half. And she couldn't care less. So I dropped it and picked it up again when she was 3. She was interested then and she learned all the letters in a month.
    This is how I did. http://ourenglishhomeschool.blogspot.ro/2012/04/teach-your-child-to-read-in-english.html
    I've decided to teach her the letter sounds (using phonics) in English (not the community language), thinking she would learning reading in Romanian (community language) anyway when she gets to school. She's 4 yrs old now and reading fairly well 4-5 letter words with phonics in English, so it worked out good so far. Funny thing is -- she's recently figured out by herself that reading in Romanian is pretty much the same thing as in English (some sounds differ, yes, but the reading mechanism is the same.). So, once they learn reading in one language, they will pick up easily reading in the other language, too.

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    1. Adina what a wonderful success! I have been looking into the phonics method (English) and it really is great isnt it - it's different to how we were taught the alphabet when we were young, although apparently it is a method that was used at some point before, went out of fashion and now is all the rage again :D I can see how it makes learning to read so much more straightforward. I'm not yet sure whether a similar method exists in french... i have been researching but so far drawn a blank. Thanks for sharing your experience i'm really grateful.

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    2. Have you seen this app? It's good, if you use an ipad/iphone. It teaches the letter sounds, using the Montessori method. (if you want to teach French phonics).
      http://bestappsforkids.com/2012/05/montessori-letter-sounds-hd-in-french/

      Also this blog has lots of activities on teaching letters/reading in French, in the Montessori-style.
      http://aladouce.blogspot.fr/search/label/Langage

      Good luck and keep us posted!

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    3. Adina thanks sooooooo much. You've made my day :D

      I'm going to check out both links IMMEDIATELY!!!!

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    4. you're welcome, hope it helps!

      Check this one too. It is in French. We use the English version on the ipad:
      http://lescapadou.com/LEscapadou_-_Fun_and_Educational_applications_for_iPad_and_IPhone/La_Magie_des_Mots_-_un_alphabet_qui_parle_pour_iPhone_et_iPad_-_app_educative_et_enseignement.html



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    5. This is free today https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/montessori-letter-sounds-hd/id494564125?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 Letter sounds / English & French

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    6. Adina It's so kind of you to to think of me and to pass on details of all these wonderful things. Thank you.

      It goes without saying that if there's anything I can do to help you in anyway at all, please let me know :D

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    7. Ps.. I got the free Apps in both French and English! They're fab :-)

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    8. That's great! I'm glad you like them! :)

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  2. My kids both learned the ABCs in English from me while learning them in French from whoever...and they are fine. They initially confused some letters, but got over it :) What seemed to work was associating the letters with things they like ie I for ice cream and E for elephant, which I used to distinguish the two letters which still cause me confusion in French. good luck!

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    1. Hi Reb. Thanks for getting in touch. I just read your post actually about learning to read and write when you're bilingual... I think maybe I need to stop panicking. I like your idea about finding items they like and introducing the letter that way...So far Poppette knows the first letter of her name...and recognises it all over... fortunately it's the same sound in both languages... if i can try and recreate that for other letters we'll be flying.

      Do you know whether there is an equivelent to phonics in French?

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  3. I have been having a similar internal dilemma this week - little imp (26 mths) has been recognising some letters for a while now and will point them out all over the place in English. Since playing on her leappad that she got at Christmas she has really begun to get the hang of the phonetic sounds the letters make in English too - happily telling me the m says mmmm etc. my problem now is do I just stick with the English or do I embark on the French alphabet as well! My instinct is telling me to stick with English for now as she is so young and like Popette's nursery said it is not something that you would usually be introducing at this age... But I don't want to regret that decision later if she then finds it hard to pick up the French alphabet! Aargh - whoever thought this would be so complicated? I too would be very interested in the advice and opinions of those who have come through the other side of this stage. Emma :0)

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    1. Hi Em... I have to say its comforting to have someone in exactly the same boat..
      Hopefully we can help each other!!! So far ive decided that whilst i make my mind up about whether to teach the alphabet at all right now and, if so, in which language(s), I will create a letter book in each language with a picture of the letter and some associated pictures of words beginning with thos letters... and let her colour it in... so at least we are building in some recognition of letter shapes whilst i'm in limbo :D

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  4. Bonjour

    Nos 3 enfants ont appris la comptine de l'alphabet en Anglais et en Français. Bien sur quelques lettres restent difficiles comme le J et le G!
    Tu peux te servir de celle ci: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkFXGlHCn_o
    Sandrine (maman Française de 3 garçons Franco Ecossais!)

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  5. Sandrine, merci mille fois pour le lien et bienvenue à mon blog! Est-ce que tu sais s'il existe en français un équivalent au système 'phonics' qu'on utilise pour faire apprendre l'alphabet anglais?

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  6. Hi Bonne! Well, you and I already conversed a bit on this when we talked about the Alphabet Book, but just wanted to reach out to you and encourage you not to be too concerned! For me, I think it's great to talk about the alphabet (in English and/or Spanish) in a casual way. For example, reading alphabet books or discussing what letter objects start with in daily speech. I'd say you have plenty of time to truly get her to learn it, but I can't imagine there would be any harm in introducing it.

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    1. Thanks for your encouragement. I have started to put together alphabet books in both languages after our last chat .. neither are quite finished but i'm almost there and I like the idea of getting Poppette used to how letters look and linking this with objects she knows and sees in her daily life.

      We've been quite lucky in that the letters with which her and Little Man's first names begin are actually pronounced the same way in both French and English - yipee...and Poppette loves pointeng them out whenever she see's them anywhere so she's definitley receptive.

      We bought the foam letters and numbers for the bath too and will give them to her little by little...I thought, that way, it might make it easier for her to absorb what they are and not be overwhelmed by the sheer volume.

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