Early Years and Home Environment

I grew up in a bilingual home on a farm with my parents, siblings, and grandparents. My grandparents and mom spoke very little to no English because they grew up in India and did not attend school for long. It was for this very reason that I was fortunate enough to have a family who highly valued literacy. At home, we mostly spoke in Punjabi, especially because while my parents were working, it was my grandparents who looked after us. However, my dad came to Canada at a young age and was fluent in the English language. From an early age, long before I started school, my dad would spend time with me after work and read me stories, help me learn the alphabet and how to spell my name, and teach me the basics of reading, writing, and speaking in English. 

My dad and I when I was a little baby!

 Our home was filled with books of all kinds; some of my favourites were The Cat in the Hat, The Giving Tree, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, The Lion and the Mouse, and The Kissing Hand. Even while my parents were at work, my grandparents would take over and we would flip through the pages of the books and try to figure out the story for ourselves. Initially, we would point out the objects or animals in the book and name them in Punjabi, but as I learned more English with my dad, I was soon able to recite and teach my grandparents the English words for these objects and animals.

Me holding a picture book I really liked!

I believe storytelling in my household also had a huge impact on my journey to becoming literate. I remember both my parents and grandparents telling us stories and they would always stop in between to allow me to make predictions or ask questions. Both reading and storytelling with my family members really helped me acquire my vocabulary, critical thinking, and questioning skills from a young age.

Reading a book with my grandma!