7. The Language/Reading Connection By Rebecca L. Roed, M.Ed., S.L.P.-C.C.C. Use your STRONGEST language! Many parents who do not speak English as their first language want to prepare their children for English-speaking schools. They may interact using older siblings or use their weaker language-English. This may seem like a good solution, but instead, it is very detrimental to the child’s language development, reading development and parent/child relationship. Your child will learn English when he gets to school AND he will learn it better if he has a solid language base in his home language. It is not WHICH language a child learns