Reading has, until very recently, become a lost skill amongst younger generations. Something that is often done behind closed doors in privacy and in solitude. The art of storytelling, even more so!
Today’s children are often taught using yesterdays books or new stories set within the parameters of out-dated publishers. Stories evolve over time, and with each translated version, the original can lose a little of it’s soul. Finally it becomes something entirely different from the words and intent, written by it’s author.
Children naturally learn through association and repetition, so why read or listen to a book or song in only one language? Surely it is better to introduce different languages, words and tones (tonalities) at the earliest possible stage, so that their brains become hard-wired to these sounds.
Just because a parent or guardian does not understand a word, phrase or connotation used in a story, it is a poor excuse for depriving a child of another language in the future.
Most parents agree that they hope that their children will become better people than they are. Then, they immediately close the doors of inspiration, because they themselves do not understand. Perhaps you should embrace these new things with the same curiosity and vigour as your child!
Reading is a pleasure that should be embraced.
We should encourage our children to explore and experience the world without political or ethical agendas. It’s a wonderful world, filled with wonderful things and you should not blinker your offspring – let them be enthralled without bias.
