Nursery rhymes such as Twinkle Twinkle and fairy tales such as The Three Bears might seem the stuff of child’s play, but they have a key role in language acquisition.
Badr Al Olama, the chairman of Bidayaat, a child development company in the UAE, claims that children who are offered a well-
rounded environment learn to speak at least 2,000 basic words by the time they are 4 years old, up from about 1,500 words for children who do not experience a structured learning environment.
“The first five years particularly are crucial learning years for the nation’s children,” says Al Olama. Gaps in vocabulary tend to appear as early as the age of three and widen thereafter. Importantly, gaps in vocabulary are rarely made up for in school.
Here’s what parents can to do to ensure that their children have every opportunity to gain a wide vocabulary, short of swallowing a dictionary.
Talk, talk, talk
The more that parents talk to their children from birth to the age of three, the greater their children’s vocabulary, rate of vocabulary growth and chances of success in school.
A 1991 study by the psychologist Janellen Huttenlocher at The University of Chicago documented the vocabulary growth of 22 children from the ages of 16 months to 24 months. Half of the children had “very talkative” mothers and the others had mothers who were “the least talkative”. Children in the word-rich environment learnt 295 more words by the time they were two than their counterparts.
“Let your children listen, repeat and ask questions,” says Ezette Grauf, the director of education at Bidayaat. “Introduce new words by pointing to items, or explaining what the child points to and saying the word. Talk about the day and ask your child questions. Even if they do not engage immediately, they’re still listening and learning. Once your child has learnt a word, extend their vocabulary by describing the colour, or what it does.”
Switch television for audio
For children’s vocabulary to grow, the television needs to be off. Dr Dimitri Christakis at Seattle Children’s Research Institute found that watching DVDs hindered toddlers’ ability to acquire vocabulary. Christakis found that with each additional hour spent in front of a screen, babies between the ages of 8 and 16 months learnt six to eight fewer words than infants who didn’t watch videos.
Story CDs are a good alternative to television because children have to form their own images of the words they hear. This is brain exercise and actually causes the brain to grow in size and capacity.
Repeat the same stories
While the prospect of reading The Cat in the Hat for the hundredth time may make you groan, recent research by Dr Jessica Horst at the University of Sussex’s Word Lab found that repeatedly reading the same book to toddlers helps them learn new words.
“Reading to children is important as they connect to the sound of your voice and warm to the nuances of language,” explains Al Olama.
It’s a good idea to read to your children for at least 10 minutes a day, or more depending on your child’s attention and interest. Three-year-olds who are read to every day tend to become 5-year-olds who flourish in school.
Likewise, sing nursery rhymes regularly with your preschoolers. Children who learn eight nursery rhymes in their first three years typically rise to the top rank of readers by age 8.
Make learning a game
Children learn better and faster when something is fun, so play games with your child. Try out the familiar unnamed games such as: “What sound does an (insert animal here) make?”, to the ever--popular I Spy, which works well with colours. For example: “I spy, with my little eye, something that is blue – or something that starts with the letter B”.
Interestingly, Dr Christakis has found that basic activities such as playing with blocks with an 18-month-old can result in an improvement in their language skills six months later.
The language learning window
During the first six months of life, babies babble using 70 sounds, according to Ronald Kotulak, the author of Inside the Brain. They will then learn to talk using only the sounds and words they pick up from their environment and their brain will discard the ability to speak in languages they do not hear.
“In early childhood, the developing brain is at a stage which is designed to be highly receptive to learning language, any language. This is a special language learning window,” says Grauf.
At Bidayaat, preschoolers are being taught Arabic. “It is important for expat families to encourage exposure and willingness to learn the local or regional language,” says Grauf. “It aids understanding of the local culture and customs, while recognising the country which we live in and share.”
For a child to learn a second language, they need to be exposed to it at least 30 per cent of the time. It often works well if the parent who spends the most amount of time with the child speaks in the “foreign” language. Exposure to foreign language books, music, movies and toys also helps.
There is much to gain from becoming bilingual or trilingual. “The benefits of learning a second language during childhood is seen to have a positive domino effect on higher self-esteem, thinking and reasoning skills and better cultural understanding,” says Al Olama. “Ongoing research reveals an increased ability to solve complex maths problems, increased vocabulary, increased reading and an overall ease to learn other subjects, as the foundation for learning is there.”
For more information on Bidayaat, visit www.bidayaat.com
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Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
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Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
GCC-UK Growth
An FTA with the GCC would be very significant for the UK. My Department has forecast that it could generate an additional £1.6 billion a year for our economy.
With consumer demand across the GCC predicted to increase to £800 billion by 2035 this deal could act as a launchpad from which our firms can boost their market share.
Company profile
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Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
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Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
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Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Match info:
Portugal 1
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Morocco 0
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Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
Indika
Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Publisher: Odd Meter
Console: PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox series X/S
Rating: 4/5
'Brazen'
Director:+Monika Mitchell
Starring:+Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
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Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
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The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
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Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
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When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
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(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
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2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
What's in my pazhamkootan?
Add:
Parippu – moong dal and coconut curry
Sambar – vegetable-infused toor dal curry
Aviyal – mixed vegetables in thick coconut paste
Thoran – beans and other dry veggies with spiced coconut
Khichdi – lentil and rice porridge
Optional:
Kootukari – stew of black chickpeas, raw banana, yam and coconut paste
Olan – ash gourd curry with coconut milk
Pulissery – spiced buttermilk curry
Rasam – spice-infused soup with a tamarind base
Avoid:
Payasam – sweet vermicelli kheer