Just Enough and Nothing More

Q: I have a 7 and 9 year old, and they are taking standardized tests this year. How much formal grammar is important this age and how do I teach it?

A: I don’t have a hard line on this, but I do think we put the cart before the horse when we push formal grammar before a child has developed concrete language patterns. Of course, if they are interested, don’t stop them. But if they aren’t, we aren’t giving them a huge edge, and maybe even hindering their writing ability, if we put too much emphasis on grammar, and less on giving them outlets to express themselves without scrutiny.

To me, grammar is very, very important. However, it’s not nearly as important as the love of language and self-expression, especially for young children. And, language and self-expression is at its best when it’s fun, meaningful, guilt-free, and used as a tool for communication.

At age 7, it’s not so important to know what a noun is, or a verb, so much as it is to get a feel for what sounds right, and what makes sense. Kids are still playing around with language at this time, and mostly learning from the people around them.

At 9, most kids can grasp the basic idea of nouns (person, place or thing), verbs, etc, because the basic grammar rules are easy to explain and teach when kids have a solid “feel” for the language they are using. For example, by age 9, most kids are no longer messing up “brought” or “don’t/doesn’t”. Of course, that depends largely on the people they are around. I’m assuming that the adults asking the question in this article are not confused by these words, and provide correct grammatical role models, as well as their friends, most of their community, and the books they read together.

For the testing, use a test-prep book to get a feel for what they test for at these ages. They can also be a way to give the kids a feel for test taking before they sit in the formal standardized testing. Also, remember, that the scores on this test are not nearly as important as her love of language.

Here are some ideas for ways to teach grammar while keeping the love of language alive (and even encouraging it):

1. Know your child. Encourage the kind of activity he/she enjoys, and don’t force ones that make him/her think language is “hard” or “boring”.
2. Games: Language games, like puzzles and Mad Libs are great ways to learn about language without the pressure, and lots of fun. Also, Mad Libs is a great way to encourage a reluctant writer to use language creatively without the pressure of having to have perfect grammar.
3. Let the kids correct YOUR grammar. And, when you catch yourself using incorrect grammar, correct yourself in a silly way.
4. Have informal conversations about grammar. Admire books with beautiful grammar and prose, while you’re reading them out loud (Doesn’t this sound great? This author uses beautiful grammar.) When it’s brought up casually in conversation, the kids will naturally understand that it’s something important in the world they live in.
5. Use workbooks like a puzzle, rather than a quiz or test of their knowledge. And back to #1, some kids really “get” workbooks, and some don’t. You may have to go through a bunch of workbooks/systems to find the ones that make sense to your kids. In the meantime, enjoy language in other ways.
6. Don’t stress over their bad grammar. If you use good grammar, they will eventually grow out of it. So, enjoy it while you can, and smile at how darn cute they are!

Now, if your children were 15, and still didn’t know what a noun was, I’d say “get on that!” But you have time. Don’t break your back on this one. Instead, swing with this problem on a swing, or take this concern for a nice stroll around the lake.

And lastly, if your child really wants to be a writer, little grammar ticks here and there aren’t going to be the end of the world. That’s what editors are for!

Far too many writers are afraid of that first draft, to just go for it and let the creativity out. We are so darn concerned about our grammar and writing “correctly”, we think that’s what being a good writer is all about. I say hooey! Being a good writer is having the ability to take what is in our brain and slap it on paper in such a way that people feel something. In order to do that, we have to let go of our unbending attachment to grammar, at least long enough to let the creative side do its work. Creativity (even if it’s writing a research paper) has to come first in the writing process. And for that reason, I believe, that’s how it should be taught as well.

So, grammar - yes. Love of language - YES! Relaxing about it right now, while having fun with language with the kids - YES YES!

Related posts:

1. Five Things - Language
2. The 5 Love Languages of Homeschooled Children
3. Stressing About Preschool
4. Teaching Cursive Writing
5. Homeschooling and Writing