, who has been teaching children, including her own, French with her club Bonjour Les Enfants for the past eight years, says the best way to start is to give your child as many opportunities as possible to hear a language that they may learn being spoken

their names slowly, repeating several times. At the end, Go through it again – as often as your baby wants.”Don’t feel embarrassed by your reading style“Children don’t care if you’re not a good reader, they just want to hear your voice” says Wendy Cooling

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for the 50th time on a long car journey and your tolerance is swiftly diminishing try taking a deep breath, smiling beatifically and saying ‘Well done darling, now let’s hear it again’.Four really repetitive activities and games

ever-present, soft Geordie lilt.While some people who work in fashion can be known for their, shall we say, abrupt manner, this design duo couldn’t have been more relaxed and at ease. I was there to hear all about their brand new collaboration

.Parentese, the high-pitched slow musical style most parents use when talking with children, and which is found in all cultures, exaggerates the differences between individual phonemes in a language, making it easier for babies to hear the distinctions between say a “b

-tweeting and a-trilling wreak havoc with Batty’s sensitive hearing. Finally, our downtrodden hero Batty flies sadly home, where there’s a surprise in store... “Without being too cheesy, it’s a tale of being happy in your own skin,” says Sarah. “In the end, Batty

Helping your child learn to share your love of the written word is a satisfying task, and one that will help build bonds between you. But whilst hearing your child read her first word will make any parent brim with pride, should you be the one who

Hi, it's me, agent 006 (a real spy never reveals his true identity).As the ancient Russian proverb goes, the early spy catches the, er, worm. Or in my case, catches the early bird 7.50am from Euston to Milton Keynes. Why? I hear you ask. Again, I


to you what is real and what is just imaginary. Fear of the dark Use a night light to give a reassuring glow. Remember, too, that when lights do go out, absolute silence can be frightening. Your child may be happier if she can hear people moving about

Don’t get too excited if your four week old appears to be grinning at you – her smile is really just a reflex action, unrelated to anything she sees or hears. These ‘smiles’ normally occur during sleep.At around six weeks, this all changes and your