punjabitots - learning punjabi the FUN way!

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punjabitots came about because my children need it!

Sat Sri Akal! Thank you for taking the time to visit the punjabitots website. As a mother of two young children, the idea for punjabitots came to me when I realised that they weren't able to speak or understand punjabi as well as I could at their age - and I wanted to do something about it!

My husband and I have many different - and often divergent - preferences in music, literature, food and entertainment. However we both agree that we're tremendously blessed with having the option to access the "Punjabi world" for all of the above and much more. We both feel very strongly that we'd like our children to have this option too!
We believe that the crucial factor in us being able to keep the door to the "Punjabi world" ajar for them is ensuring that they - at the very least - have some familiarity with the wonderful punjabi language. That's easier said than done! We're both UK born and bred. Therefore it takes a real effort to try to impart any sort of punjabi language education. We do try to speak as much punjabi with them as we can but usually, by the time we've remembered to "speak punjabi", the english has already left our lips! The same is often true for their (Punjab-born) grandparents!
I have an A-level in punjabi and taught punjabi at my local gurdwara for over two years before I went off to University. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and was encouraged to see that my creative methods really helped the children. I took my own children to baby yoga classes from when they were 4 weeks old. Since becoming a full-time mum I have trained with Birthlight and am qualified to teach Toddler Yoga.
With this background I began to think that what would really help my children is a regular 'punjabi experience' during which they could run and stretch and bend and jump and hop with their friends and speak, sing and shout in punjabi! A time when they could develop an appreciation for the language allowing them to think of it as a living, breathing thing. A regular slot when they could develop greater confidence to speak the language and a sense of pride in improving their punjabi speaking, listening, writing and reading skills!
This greater confidence would reap huge benefits when learning other languages. (After all, with latin and sanskrit having shared origins punjabi is closer to french, spanish, german and italian than you might think!) In fact, as a child's capacity for learning has no bounds, a regular language and movement session would compliment and aid all the other learning and development that children do every day. Such sessions would also serve as a boost to the children's parents to keep up their punjabi teaching!
Finding that there was an interest amongst parents like us in such a class - and that nothing approaching our needs existed - I decided to set it up. punjabitots was born! Since the sessions began, parents and I have been thrilled at how quickly all the children have been learning while having fun. There really seem to be no limits to their capabilities and enthusiasm for learning - it's so uplifting to hear even 20-month-olds shouting out "ooraa, aeraa, eeree" and "ik, dau, tin" and the punjabi words for objects and colours as they revel in being a punjabi tot!
Mendy

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	punjabitots came about because my children need it!
	Sat Sri Akal! Thank you for taking the time to visit the punjabitots website. As a mother of two young children, the idea for punjabitots came to me when I realised that they weren't able to speak or understand punjabi as well as I could at their age - and I wanted to do something about it!
	My husband and I have many different - and often divergent - preferences in music, literature, food and entertainment. However we both agree that we're tremendously blessed with having the option to access the "Punjabi world" for all of the above and much more. We both feel very strongly that we'd like our children to have this option too! We believe that the crucial factor in us being able to keep the door to the "Punjabi world" ajar for them is ensuring that they - at the very least - have some familiarity with the wonderful punjabi language. That's easier said than done! We're both UK born and bred. Therefore it takes a real effort to try to impart any sort of punjabi language education. We do try to speak as much punjabi with them as we can but usually, by the time we've remembered to "speak punjabi", the english has already left our lips! The same is often true for their (Punjab-born) grandparents! I have an A-level in punjabi and taught punjabi at my local gurdwara for over two years before I went off to University. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and was encouraged to see that my creative methods really helped the children. I took my own children to baby yoga classes from when they were 4 weeks old. Since becoming a full-time mum I have trained with Birthlight and am qualified to teach Toddler Yoga. With this background I began to think that what would really help my children is a regular 'punjabi experience' during which they could run and stretch and bend and jump and hop with their friends and speak, sing and shout in punjabi! A time when they could develop an appreciation for the language allowing them to think of it as a living, breathing thing. A regular slot when they could develop greater confidence to speak the language and a sense of pride in improving their punjabi speaking, listening, writing and reading skills! This greater confidence would reap huge benefits when learning other languages. (After all, with latin and sanskrit having shared origins punjabi is closer to french, spanish, german and italian than you might think!) In fact, as a child's capacity for learning has no bounds, a regular language and movement session would compliment and aid all the other learning and development that children do every day. Such sessions would also serve as a boost to the children's parents to keep up their punjabi teaching! Finding that there was an interest amongst parents like us in such a class - and that nothing approaching our needs existed - I decided to set it up. punjabitots was born! Since the sessions began, parents and I have been thrilled at how quickly all the children have been learning while having fun. There really seem to be no limits to their capabilities and enthusiasm for learning - it's so uplifting to hear even 20-month-olds shouting out "ooraa, aeraa, eeree" and "ik, dau, tin" and the punjabi words for objects and colours as they revel in being a punjabi tot! Mendy
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