Parents with limited English proficiency have heard different messages about the language-learning needs of their children. Some believe that speaking to their children in their native language may hold them back from learning English or confuse them as they enter preschool and kindergarten. While mastery of English is important for success in school, research is showing that being fluent in more than one language can actually contribute to academic success. Check out our five tips every parent should know about dual language-learning.

Download the PDF here. For the Spanish version click here.

Yet, new research from brain scientists and linguistic experts tells us that a child who learns many words in her native language will have a stronger foundation for learning a second language, like English. 2 Studies also show that exposing a child to two languages during their preschool years may help them learn more efficiently as they grow.

Let us give thanks to our God in Heaven who creates the family environment as a place where we can be real and encourage one another and our children. Family is one of the greatest ideas from God! Encouragement of your children is a duty for all parents and should be a priority. The Bible talks about this important issue a lot:

1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

1 Thessalonians 4:18 “Therefore encourage one another with these words…”

Today, I would like to give you some thoughts on how to practice encouragement and spiritual growth in your relationship with your children. Here are some ideas:

• Write a short message and place it in your child’s lunchbox, for example: “We are so proud that you are our son/daughter!”
• Give your child a big hug before they go to kindergarten or school.
• Bless your child before they leave the house for a test or sport event etc.
• Pray before bed time
• Start a Thanksgiving and Prayer Request book for the whole family to write in.
• Let your child have a turn to pray at dinner time.
• Be honest about your Christian faith and live it out as an example to your children (Be authentic during the week!)
• Start a family ritual where your family visits a children’s hospital at Christmas eve or on Christmas day. Sing or read to the children.
• Reading the Bible together at the breakfast table and start a daily exchange of Bible verses (maybe use a children’s Bible).
• After church, talk about the service over lunch: What was the topic at Sunday school? What was the topic at the service? Etc.

What does your family do to grow spiritually together, please share your ideas with us? Thank you very much for your ideas, may God bless you!

In the January edition of Pediatrics, Thurber and Walton offer these 14 tips on preventing kids’ homesickness:

1. Talk with kids about the upcoming separation.
2. Tell kids that it’s normal to feel homesick.
3. Talk with kids about coping with homesickness.
4. Involve kids in the decision to spend time away from home.
5. Send kids on a “practice” trip, such as few days at a friend’s or relative’s house.
6. Have kids practice writing letters before leaving.
7. If possible, help kids meet at least one person (adult or child) from the new setting before leaving.
8. Encourage kids to make friends and seek support from trusted adults when they’re gone.
9. Be enthusiastic and optimistic about your child’s away-from-home experience.
10. No negativity. Don’t say things like, “I hope you’ll be OK.”
11. Give kids pre-stamped, preaddressed envelopes and notebook paper when they leave.
12. Don’t make a deal with kids to get them if they don’t like being away.
13. Don’t use the experience as a drug holiday for kids on medications.
14. If kids have special needs, confirm in advance that those needs will be met.

Thurber and Walton also recommend these seven ways for kids to cope with homesickness:

1. Do something fun, like playing with friends.
2. Do something to feel closer to home, like writing a letter home.
3. Go see someone who can talk with you to help you feel better.
4. Look at the bright side, such as activities and friends in the new setting.
5. Think that the time away is short.
6. Don’t dwell on home.
7. Think about what a loved one would say to make you feel better.

What about calling home?
During short separations, “old-fashioned letters may be the best way to maintain contact with home,” write Thurber and Walton. They note that writing letters tends to be less emotional and requires more personal reflection than calling home.

SOURCES: Thurber, C. Pediatrics, January 2007; Vol. 119: pp. 192-201. News release, University of Michigan.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tips-to-ease-the-sting-of-homesickness/