how to improve 4 years old boy fluently in speech

sananthi · Jun 16, 2011

my son who will be going to 4 in this July. He started speaking only 2 years 4 months. After going to preschool we saw lot of improvements in his speech. He mingled with other kids. He can speak small small sentences in tamil. one year back ( 2010 aug) we move to US.
Now he can speak tamil much better than the previous year. but not very fluently. Now He goes to preschool in US. In school the teacher told me he doesn't speak and doesn't interact with other kids. But in home he use some small small english sentenced like "i want milk. i don't want. give it to me. take the ball."

my parents told me if you r not go to US definitely his fluently in tamil is good. In US you only speek with him in tamil. kids are learning from other kids very fastly. So we are planned to move to india next year. Next year he has to join in UKG. Before that he must improve his fluently

i am very worried about his speech. what is the miles stone for 4 years old boy. Is this any problem. or its going to be normal. what r the things i do for improving his tamil and english language skills

prana · Jun 16, 2011

Sananthi,dont worry..he would pick up very well..first of all, talk to him most of the time..tell him stories and make him asking questions from the stories...

And ask him about his daily routines in the school, about his friends everything...start with his favourite things....

practice makes everything perfect right..so nothing would be wrong....but keep on talking with him...

SLV · Sep 8, 2011

Please do let me know, if you still have some concerns and i shall be happy to give you some suggestions.
If your DS has caught up and is doing well, then all the very best!

tashidelek2002 · Sep 8, 2011

You are in the classic problem of immigrants to USA. I have seen it dozens of times and if you want your kid to speak well in school, you will have to speak English at home. If you want your kid to speak the native language, then his advancement in English will not be as great. This also applies to stay at home wives/family members. I remember meeting a Chinese doctor's wife years ago....she had been here 10 years and couldn't speak any English. I have also seen a Russian woman who was 94 and not speaking English in her home and she died not being able to speak English and was in USA since age 2. The just pick it up may or may not work but a lot depends on what is spoken at home as most talking is done in the family.

teacher · Sep 9, 2011

Hi, all things being equal it takes a minimum of two years to substitue one language with another...it is a natural process...have one parent speak to him in English and the other in the mother tongue.

Arrange for regular playdates with atleast oneother classmate-this will give him someone to talk to in class and a common topic to share. Observe what toys your son and his playmate choose and sendit with him to schol-children loveto discuss what they did with other children. The toy will serve as a prop and your child can build on his common experience. Let the teacher know you areworking on this concern-they will work with you tonhelp him. Besides they too have legal requirements which say they must inform parents when they notice concerns.

This is a the age to acquire bilingual skills...it is not only the idea of having a second language skill. The cognitive benefits are immense and will help him in the future.

Take him to your local library, to the reading sessions; to the park with lots of children-they are his natural conversation partners...before school, discuss one thing he would like to say to his friends or teacher...and give him scripts ...I went to...I ate...I like to...

Again, let him play, play, play with his peers.
R

teacher · Sep 9, 2011

Btw the study which assessed the brain pathways in people who are truly bilingual were conducted on people who were fluent in Tamil and English...they found that it (bilingualism, not tamil) delayed Alzheimer's...so take a deep breath and enjoy your work with your child...

Adumom · Sep 9, 2011

Hi Teacher

I have read your posts and replies and greatly value them.. i have a doubt regarding these communication skills, i hope that u will be able to help me with those.

My son who is 5 years old, studies in chenna in a English medium school, but he does not communicate in english..as u would have known the teacher to student ratio here, the teacher is not able to give individual attenion and as far as i have noticed, none of the guys in his class speak English...my son understands what is instructed to him, but is reluctant to reply back..

how do i make him speak english