This was a short chapter on teaching grammar. Some of the points that were notable are:
Early grammar lessons are informal
Grammar is taught through conversation in the home
Gentle correction should be used when children misuse grammar
Mothers should brush up on their own grammar skills through reading
I have noticed in my day to day life, children speak the way their parents speak. Have you noticed this? What are your thoughts?
When my son uses incorrect grammar, I try to gently correct him. He takes the correction with a good attitude. I am not perfect when it comes to grammar. I probably should purchase the Simply Grammar, and personally use the lessons. I have just started reading the Scarlet Pimpernel for myself. I was not expecting to enjoy it, but, so far, the book is interesting. I haven’t read a book that isn’t for my child or dealing with parenting/teaching since I’ve had children, and David is turning five soon. I do read some interesting books to David. So, hopefully by reading books, I can further increase my vocabulary and improve my grammar, thus improving my sons grammar. Also, I do frequently read to my son.
Heather, good for you! Yes I agree I found my own quality of language hit a major decline after having children and staying at home. I was reading more parenting books rather than good novels for a time and not conversing with adults as much as I was used to. Since I have corrected that in the last year or so and just started reading more and better literature, and even poetry, I find my way of speaking has naturally improved quite a bit! In fact, with all of the quality language our whole family has taken in, I feel that I have never been more well-spoken or had a richer thought life full of good ideas. Most of this richness of language took little extra effort on my part because to be honest, it mostly came from quality children’s literature I was reading to them anyway, such as Beatrix Potter. Imagine that! When the world says a woman loses herself and her brains when she becomes a mother, I feel I am the smartest I’ve ever been. I am now using rich vocabulary I have never used before with ease and my mind is full of interesting ideas overflowing to the rest of my family I hope!
It bothers me to hear incorrect grammar. My husband is from the south and we moved back 2 years ago. I have been worried that my children will pick up the incorrect grammar spoken around us. I know I am not perfect and need to improve my own vocabulary to make it richer. I have not read many classics, so I think that will be a goal of mine as I also have just been reading books on parenting or minimalism the past five years.
I love that grammar is informal at first. It's taught through conversations and books! I will admit that when I first heard of Charlotte Mason, I didn't understand how reading living books would provide instruction on the different subjects learned in the schools. It's all coming together for me now. What a novel idea to learn through great literature. 😊 I see that narration is also a great way for students to practice grammar.