Enhancing Language Learning with Literature

Parents looking for interesting and exciting ways for their children to perfect their English outside of the classroom should explore the magic of literature. Children stories allow students to learn new words and develop their understanding of syntax. Listening skills may improve as children hear the story and recount the plot. Asking your child simple comprehension questions will improve both their memory and overall language ability. Children will begin to use context clues to determine the meaning of new words and pictures to remember them.

The benefits of reading stories with your children go far beyond improving their English skills. The time spent together is invaluable and children tend to recall reading with their parents far into the future. Children stories foster creativity and problem solving skills. They teach lessons that can continue to be appropriate throughout our lives. Most importantly, stories allow students to be entertained by fantastic and imaginative plots while still improving their English skills.

For example, take Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. This story is short and easy to read. The plot is about a young boy using his imagination to create a world very different from his own. He meets many interesting creatures and becomes the king of the “Wild Things” but soon realizes he would like to return home. Where the Wild Things Are is a story that can be interpreted in many different ways. And that is what is so incredible about children’s literature. These stories allow students to become creative problem solvers while continuing to enhance their language abilities.[:]