THE CHAN FAMILY
Albert and Erin are working parents and Caspian is the only child in the family. Caspian speaks Cantonese at home and has English exposure through the domestic helper and at kindergarten. Caspian is enrolled on the Cantonese Story Narration course. His storyboard won Best Creativity Award at the Achievement Ceremony.
What was the inspiration behind Caspian’s story in the “Be An Author” competition?
Caspian took inspiration from his every day life. As we order takeout from Food Panda, he thought that it would be good to incorporate this. Since he is still young then it was a collective family effort in realising this story for him. He hasn’t shown a particular interest In art yet, but we can see that storytelling can help nurture his creative side.
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Did we meet your expectations at the Achievement Ceremony?
No doubt that you met Caspian’s because he was fully engaged throughout the 3 hours. He usually isn’t interested in events unless there is some sort of a car theme. We were impressed how comfortable all the children were which is good marker that children feel welcomed to be themselves. The atmosphere was relaxed and parents were given the freedom to join in or let their children be the stars. We sensed that the iSpeech team were all passionate in making a great day for the children and very capable in knowing how to communicate with children.
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As you are both working parents, where does Caspian get the time to read?
Our domestic helper will sit down with him everyday to read English books together. The most precious time we have is in the evening and we will read Chinese and English books to Caspian as part of his bedtime routine. We see this as bonding time too and getting to know Caspian through story books is very interesting and you can see his character building every day. He averages 8 books a day and when we get really busy then he still gets at least 2 books.
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How do you foster a love of reading with Caspian?
We borrow books from the library for him, so he has a good rotation of different authors and styles of books to read. He has shown a particular liking to a certain aesthetic where the colour palette is more muted and he reaches for these books often. Taking the lead from Caspian, we will choose books that we know he will love.
We actually borrow the books on his behalf and don’t really take him to the library, however we enjoy visiting bookshops together and he really thrives when he is around books.
Recently, we have been taking books onto public transport to read. Caspian will see that mummy and daddy are reading and so he wants to model us too. This is something that he cannot be pressured into and he will see that reading is a norm and his love of reading will take better shape.
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Have you noticed any habits that Caspian is forming whilst reading?
He is at the age where he wants to know how everything works. Books that explain how the world works are one of his favourites at the moment. We encourage him to ask many questions and where we are not able to answer for him, he knows that he can find it within books. We think that exposing him to as many books as possible feeds this curiosity and it is pure joy every time he opens a book.
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What aspect of parenting do you both struggle with as working parents?
We would like for them to go overseas. At the end of the day, Singapore is a small country and very sheltered. We appreciate that it is a safe country, yet we want our children to be street smart and conscious of the darker side of humanity. It is invaluable to learn practical knowledge and skills that are often developed through intuition. We think that trying to find the time to have mindful conversations is struggle. This is especially true for during the working week, after reviewing his homework and reading books, there’s just not enough time to just talk. Caspian is still a toddler, but it’s something that we are conscious of and will be particularly important as he grows older. Having mindful conversations, we can then find out more of what he is thinking and building a good foundation of support for him, showing him that we are here to listen to him should he face any problems.
We find ourselves looking at the home security camera, not as a way of surveillance, but to get to know our son. We find it comforting when he chooses to read the books that we have borrowed for him and we know his favourites when we see him reading it on repeat.
Lastly, why did you choose iSpeech for Caspian?
We have seen constant progress in his speech and when he’s talking with us, he is forming full sentences. He is much more confident when conveying his wants and needs. Learning through storytelling is an interesting teaching method and since Caspian is already comfortable with books, this makes him absorb information much more easily. We are very happy that through Story Narration course he has learnt to be more empathetic and can see things from another perspective.
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Writer's Notes
Using technology in a positive way has helped Albert and Erin understand their son. It’s empowering that they can still be involved in Caspian’s everyday life even when both are working. Shifting the lens from surveillance to observing his interests has kept this family bond strong. There’s no better way to teach a child than through parent modeling – Albert and Erin use their own actions and words to demonstrate and foster a love of learning and reading without the need for putting pressure on Caspian. October 2024
