The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is a standardized reading test used to determine a student’s instructional level in reading. The DRA is administered individually to students by teachers and/or reading specialists. Students read a selection (or selections) and then retell what they have read to the examiner. As the levels increase, so does the difficulty…
Tag: Language Development
10 activities to keep the children engaged!
It requires a lot of patience, attention and energy to entertain children between 5-8 years of age. As parents, we want to give our children unconditional love and strengthen the parent-child bond. One of the ways this can be done is by spending more time with them; here are the best 10 activities to do…
Cognitive skills for kindergartners
Kindergarten children are very active explorers of their environment. They are interested in everything and their desire to learn is limitless. Described by Piaget as “little scientists” and by many researchers as “sponges,” they are ready, willing and able to learn. Here are the 20 cognitive milestones for kindergarteners: 1. They know a lot of…
Social skills for second graders
Social skills are important skills for second grade that your child is gaining awareness and a sense of independence. You will notice how your child is gaining more self control over his/her behaviour. 1. Begins to become more self-aware; recognizes strengths and weakness in his abilities. 2. Is gaining more self-control in her behavior and…
Engaging toddlers in conversations
Your toddler’s language will start to ‘explode’ soon, although your child has been learning about words, sounds and back-and-forth conversations since birth. To develop language and conversation skills, toddlers need many opportunities to talk with each other, an adult, one on one and in groups. It’s a cumbersome task to engage toddlers in conversation throughout…
What grammar topics should my child know by grade 2?
Grammar is a vital aspect of language, especially for younger children. At any stage, it is of utmost importance as communication can be misunderstood without the proper use of grammar. Hence, whether is basic nouns or verbs or even using punctuation accurately. The concepts and skills attained are beneficial at every age. Curriculum for Grammar…
How do rhymes aid language development?
There’s a sense of nostalgia as memories come rushing back when as parents we hear our children recite rhymes like, ‘Twinkle, Twinkle little star’ or ‘Johny Johny yes papa’. Let’s see how rhymes aid in language development: 1. Awareness of speech sounds: The cadence, rhyme, and repetition of words in nursery rhymes and children’s songs…
Engaging toddlers in conversation
Your toddler’s language will start to ‘explode’ soon, although your child has been learning about words, sounds and back-and-forth conversations since birth. To develop language and conversation skills, toddlers need many opportunities to talk with each other, an adult, one on one and in groups. It’s a cumbersome task to engage toddlers in conversation throughout…
Why is art important in early childhood?
Play is the way children discover themselves – starting with their fingers, toes and gradually their whole body, mind and emotions. Play is an important part of childhood and art is one such form of play. Art is a language that allows us to express and develop our ideas and emotions; artistic activities are…