Does Bilingualism Cause Speech and Language Delay?

As a Speech and Language Therapist, this is a question I often hear. In fact, it is not always a question, but a statement; bilingualism causes speech and language delay or my child doesn't speak yet because we speak two languages at home. So is this true? The short answer is...no!

Ilyas and Duck Book Review

I am always on the look out for new Islamic children's books. When my eldest, who is now almost 8 years old, was a baby, they were so difficult to find and the books that were available were dull and lacked imagination. However, now there are many more available and the quality of the stories is rising.

I recently came across Ilyas and Duck books and was thrilled to be asked to review them. There are three books in the series and I was sent two of them to review. The first is, 'Ilyas and Duck Search For Allah' and the second is, 'Ilyas and Duck in A Zakat Tale.'

My Mother and My Children: Reflections of a Muslim Convert

"Ummi, Ummi…" My 7-year-old was tugging on my skirt to get my attention. There was a 

sense of urgency in his eyes. "Ummi, please can't you tell Grandma to be a Muslim?"

I struggled to hold back my tears as I explained to my son that Allah is the only one who 

makes Muslims and that each of us should try to talk to Grandma about Islam and make 

dua that Allah would guide her and open her heart to accept the truth.

Bilingual Language Activity: Autumn

We have been learning about autumn this month in our nature curriculum. I always try to add some language learning into whatever we are doing. I previously wrote an article about using Arabic language resources to learn about autumn, so I thought it would be good to show you how we have incorporated Turkish language learning into our homeschool too. 

15 Reasons to Homeschool Your Children

As a homeschooling mum of four, I am always asked why I choose to homeschool my children. Many people have not even considered homeschooling before and it is definitely not the norm. Even some who have considered it, do get put off by schools and local authorities telling them it is not a good idea.

Mixed Faith Family According To a 7 Year Old

Whilst pondering over what to write for this blog post, I wondered what there was to write about. We don’t discuss religion in my family. I was brought up as an Atheist on my Dad’s side, and non-practising Catholic on my Mother’s. If we ever went to church it would be to a Roman Catholic Church which made me feel uncomfortable because of the statues and the smell of frankincense. I think I went once to a Methodist church with my paternal grandma. I liked that church as it was small and cosy. There were no statues or pictures anywhere and I can’t remember any incense smell. My grandma only drank alcohol at Christmas (from what I know).

Birth Announcement and Story

On October 2nd we welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our family. She weighed 7lbs 2oz which is a similar weight to my other children when they were born. Her siblings dote on her and are constantly asking to hold her and kiss her. Delal in particular is extremely happy that, after two brothers, she finally has a sister. Riyad and Kamil are enjoying being big brothers and I have not noticed any jealousy at all from K. He seems fascinated by the baby in the house!

6 Tips to Teach Your Child About Cleaning

Do you remember how decluttered and clean your apartment used to be before the children were born? Are you wondering how other parents can maintain sparkling clean homes AND have children at the same time? It all starts with the right mindset. Stop thinking that you can’t keep a clean home. On the contrary, be positive and believe – your home can be just as clean as the homes of other mums. And when you’ve adopted a positive mindset, time to change your attitude towards your children. Stop thinking that the kids are too young and won’t understand you when you try to teach them a thing or two about cleaning. In fact, children as young as 2 years old can not only understand your ‘cleaning lessons’, but they can help you with the household chores, too. 

Arabic Seeds Language Resources Fall Bundle Review

Arabic Seeds is a company that offers downloadable resources for Arabic language learning. It was set up out of the frustration of not being able to find any Arabic resources suitable for non-native speakers of Arabic. The founder wanted to show learners that it is possible to integrate Arabic into your daily life as a non-native speaker. This is why Arabic Seeds resources are based on children's interests and daily life situations. Their aim is to make Arabic a meaningful and loved language for learners everywhere.

Christianity to Islam, Trying to Balance This Parenting Thing

“Mom, why do the other kids get to have fun and we don’t?” A sentence I’ve heard too many times, through whines, tears and pouty faces.

When our children see Christmas lights, presents for other children and constant bombardment of jazzy toy ads on TV, all they see is fun. When they see other kiddos running around melodiously asking for candy, decked out in their favorite super heroes gear, they see fun.

September Nature Studies

If you have read about our homeschool curriculum or follow my instagram account, you will know we are following a nature curriculum this year called 'Exploring Nature With Children'. It is a wonderful curriculum that covers different topics each week of the year. For each week, there are activities to do, recommended reading, poetry and a piece of art to study. The curriculum incorporates science, English, art and nature studies so it is really varied. You can check out the curriculum here.