Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking are essential skills or life skills that kids need to learn and develop from a young age. These skills are fundamental to the educational progress of a child. These skills are considered lifelong processes since they are adaptive and adopted throughout one’s life.

Language and development are dependent on 4 skills especially –

Reading:

The saying: Padhega toh India Badhega – has great scientific truth. People who read, furnish the brain with material knowledge. So reading is an important life skill. To read properly is to understand what the person who has written wants to convey. Reading skills help children to understand, interpret and comprehend written texts. Reading from an early age encourages children to develop vocabulary, language acquisition and cognition. Ensure that kids have access to books and magazines that are age-appropriate and kids have a timetable that includes reading time at home. 

Writing:

Likhte likhte love ho jaaye was an advertisement jingle but if taken seriously, this skill can actually make the children appreciate and love writing. They may engage in creative writing later in life. This skill helps children to pave a way for future careers in journalism or blog writing. This skill whether in different writing formats or genres helps in the betterment of communication skills.

Listening:

Sunoge toh pata chalega! To hear is to know. Listening skill is one of the most ignored skills. People like to speak more and listen less. Active listening is the need of the hour. Our children need to listen more to understand and interpret spoken language. While listening, the kids must focus on the person who is speaking, ask questions and seek clarification if necessary.  To develop social and communication skills, listening is very important. 

Speaking:

To communicate effectively, speaking clearly is a must. It is an essential skill for social behaviour, emotional connection and cognition. Speaking is learnt by listening and imitating. Then they observe reactions and responses and practice their speech. Parents and guardians can encourage children to speak by asking them open-ended questions that provide an opportunity for the child to express themselves. Reading aloud also helps improve speech. Encourage your child to participate in discussions, debates and other public speaking activities. Speaking skills enhance language acquisition too. 

As parents and educators, it is important to encourage all RWLS skills for the holistic development of the child. All are important for the successful life of children.