Country Guide – Helen Lammers Helps
“When you play pat-a-cake with your baby, you might think you’re just enjoying a fun game. However, child experts say rhymes, songs, and finger play actually help our children develop early literacy skills and build the foundations for a lifetime of learning. Language and literacy do more than open up the possibility of academic achievement, says Daniela O’Neil, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Waterloo. Research has shown that oral language and literacy skills affect not only our reading, writing and math skills, but also our ability to get along with peers and to manage emotions.”(more)