Make it fun!
– If you have knowledge of Irish, you can use it in simple ways once or twice a day. For example, going up the stairs with a small child you could say: suas, suas, suas … going up every step and síos, síos, síos … coming down.
– When the children are being dressed, a rhyme like' Lámh, lámh eile, a haon, a dó; Cos, cos eile, a haon, a dó'.. could be used.
Using Irish words when asking for something at the table can be helpful. For example Bainne, arán, tae, más é do thoil é can be followed naturally with Go raibh maith agat.
– Children should be encouraged to sing the Irish songs they learn at school.
The child will respond if you start the first few words. Children love action songs and rhymes, and they usually learn many of these in the infant and junior classes.
– You could encourage your children to watch the cartoons on TG4 on Saturdays and Sundays. It does not matter if the child doesn’t understand the language. It is worth remembering, too, that children can often understand language without being able to use it. Children love cartoons and will get the gist of what is going on from the pictures and the sound effects. Older children might enjoy the quizzes for children, the fun games for adults, and sports programmes.
Using Irish in an enjoyable way
– You can play a game with Irish phrases that can be seen in the environment. In the city this could take the form of
What do you think Oifig an Phoist means?
What do you think Bruscar means?
What does Stáisiún mean?
What is ........ X (on a local sign)?
What is Bus Éireann?
– Towns and place names can be used in a similar way. Sráid (a street), Cearnóg (a square), Lough (loch, a lake), Contae (county), Knock (cnoc, a hill), Tully (tulach, a hill), Kill (cill, a small church), Down (dún, a fort or castle)
Helping to make Irish relevant
Although Irish is very visible in schools, the children need the support of their families and the wider community outside school if they are to see it as relevant to ordinary life.
It would help to give Irish meaning as a living language if children can see it used to give and receive messages.
– You could look at your children’s books from school and admire them and ask the children to tell you about them. – You could buy books for small children and read them with them.
– If you feel more confident in using Irish you could make a habit of using particular phrases at meal times or at bedtime: Cá bhfuil Máire? Tá an tae réidh! Tá sé a hocht a chlog, leaba anois! Oíche mhaith, codladh sámh! An bhfuil cead agam.....
All the skills we learn in our first language are transferrable to our second and subsequent language learning.