With young teens becoming experts at the SMS lingo, abridged words and sentences are becoming part of English vocabulary for most children. It need not be a big concern for parents if used in moderation, but it can become a worry if it starts affecting how a child performs with grammatical constructions at school or in other arenas. Here are 5 simple ways to keep those grammar rules in your child’s mind:

1. Start young: At a young age when children are just starting to form sentences, we often hear words like “bring-t” or “throw-ed”. Though many parents might not want to keep up with a continuous stream of correcting their child, it is very useful to point it out gently and give an example of the correct usage. You can even make it easier for the child to remember by making it into a rhyme or funny saying.

2. Word games: Another fun way to introduce grammar for children without making it a laborious task is to use word games or grammar quizzes and make it into an interesting group activity. Some of the questions could be guessing the correct tense form of verbs, or giving two parts of the sentence and asking the child to combine them correctly into a sentence.

3. Introduce reading: Once a child starts reading on his or her own, encourage the habit as much as you can. One of the best ways for children to increase their vocabulary and learn about correct grammar and sentence construction is by being exposed to different kinds of books. There is a lot of information online about what books might be suitable for your child at their grade level. Make sure to introduce your child to the library and give them access to a wealth of books by different authors.

4. Use different approaches: In some cases, where English is being introduced as a second language and is not the primary language spoken at home, it may be necessary to start with simpler rules and use slightly different methods. Even if not for ESL, every child is different and may learn at a slower or advanced pace, so the parent or teacher might need to tailor the method of teaching.

At Aloha USA, we offer classes in English that can help your child improve their language skills. Please see our website for more details:http://www.aloha-usa.com.

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