Singapore has advanced by leaps and bounds since its inception about half a century ago. Being a melting pot of cultures, English had donned the role of the lingua franca of this nation. Yes, we have achieved quite a lot due to this. But what has happened to the plethora of languages which we called our mother tongue? Sadly, the native languages have seen a deep decline. Today many of our kids are unable to speak freely without errors in the languages that we ourselves heard our parents speak with ease. The languages that our parents and grandparents before them passed on to us seem to be vanishing. But all is not lost. We are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of our mother tongues and the link that they provide us with our culture. So yes, efforts are on to save our languages.
Teaching languages to kids – a tedious task
So how do you get your kids to learn their mother tongue? Let’s be honest. That is going to be one dreadful task for them and us. Most kids and youngsters have grown so accustomed to English that they hardly use their mother tongue for any form of communication. Imposing a language on them is not a welcome move. This is the problem with making these languages a part of the school curriculum and marking their performances. That has surely proved to be detrimental. Asking our kids to learn the language through rote memorisation could actually end up creating a dislike in the minds of youngsters towards a particular language. Then what can be done?
Read, read and read
You can well and truly get an amazing speech written for your kid by someone else and have her memorise it. But there is always a limit to rote memorisation. A good orator should possess good thinking abilities as well. And what is the best food for your thoughts? Obviously, Books! Or more specifically reading. Encourage your child to read more. Encourage your child to read wide. Incentivise it. Throw in a bar of chocolate or extra pocket money for every book she completes. Let your child read some of the great speeches of Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and so on. An avid reader gains greater clarity of thought. Greater clarity of thoughts means a better flow of ideas. A better flow of ideas results in better speeches and this ultimately gives birth to an efficient orator.
Love of language through Art
Our mother tongues are not just a means of communication. They hold the treasures of our diverse cultures and are to be loved in a similar manner. This you cannot teach in a cramped classroom. Art comes in here as a rescue mechanism. Our cultures hold great artistic wealth and it is precisely this which we must make use of while reintroducing our mother tongues to kids. Schools and localities can contribute equally by giving more room for artistic performances. Let children prepare theatre performances, musicals or storytelling shows in their mother tongues. The activity adds interest to the whole process of language learning with the children themselves being unaware that they are in fact bettering their language skills. Tamil Cultural weeks, Mandarin cultural weeks and other occasions can be celebrated with more emphasis and importance to the languages.
Not just a language
Using art not only means that your child would get a grasp of the language. It also means that your child becomes more acquainted with his/her cultural roots. This inevitably would also result in greater value addition imbibed from traditional cultures. In addition, one would also be able to view the facets of different cultures and hence develop awareness as well as tolerance.
So, let’s make sure that Singapore is not just filled with the sound of English words. Let there be a place for Malay, Tamil, Mandarin and may those voices be heard and heralded as well. Let’s spread the love for language with a bit of art. At the same time, let us also as parents give more space for our mother tongue in our household conversations.
Exam Smart Tips
Exam Smart Tip #1 – How to Encourage Our Kids to Speak Better?
Exam Smart Tip #2 – How to avoid carelessness?
Exam Smart Tip #3 – Establishing Routines!
Exam Smart Tip #4 – Let’s Read Carefully!
Exam Smart Tip #5 – Beating the Exam Fever!
Exam Smart Tip #6 – How to Eat Right for the Exams?
Exam Smart Tip #7 – How to Avoid a Meltdown?
Exam Smart Tip #8 – Taking Stress out of Tests
Who We Are
Mission statement – “Empower every student to achieve full potential”
88tuition Pte Ltd offers the best PSLE Tuition Singapore for children looking to ace the PSLE exam. With effective learning materials and high-quality explanatory videos by experienced trainers, children are provided with the best online PSLE tuition.
With the basics learnt well, children will be able to grasp advanced concepts easily. Looking for the best PSLE math tuition, PSLE Science tuition and PSLE English tuition in Singapore? 88tuition has got you covered. The online training videos and assessments are designed in a way that children are made to enjoy the learning process.
UEN 201817310C
271 Bukit Timah Road; #03-08; Singapore 259708
