Attachment Promotes Literacy

03/28/2005

"Patience and a mulberry leaf will make a silk gown." - Chinese Proverb

Attachment Promotes Literacy

In her Parenting Exchange column, "Emotional Attachments Motivate Children's Language Mastery," Karen Stephens makes these observations for parents:

"To be enticed into the world of words, children must see a purpose and advantage to acquiring language skills. That purpose encourages them to make the concentrated effort needed to unravel the mystery behind all those abstract. confusing symbols. The need to communicate with others, the urge to cement bonds of affection leads to language mastery. That social need, as well as children's innate intellectual curiosity about the world, is exactly what takes them down the path to literacy....

"Helping children see all the many uses for reading and writing will give them a red carpet to the world. Through reading they'll step through the ages to see how human experience has unfolded on this blue/green swirl of a planet. They'll tap into the thinking of anyone who cared enough to write for posterity, from ancient philosophers to generations of extended family. The written word places the past, present, and future at children's feet; it prepares them for far more than just intellectual pursuits. Literacy gives children a tool for putting their hearts as well as their brains to work."

To download a free PDF of this Parenting Exchange column, click here http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/0577 .

"Emotional Attachments..." is one of 17 of Stephen's columns on the Parenting Exchange on CD focusing on "Attachment and Self Esteem." This week all Parenting Exchange on CD collections will be on sale at a 20% discount. Check them all out at http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/0578

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