Language & Communication

Creativity, Social and emotional growth is just as important as academic learning. Learning to process and follow directions, playing with others, communicating with others, & listening to others, is an essential part of Early Years development. Understanding the development of different age groups is essential in ensuring a child’s emotional growth is supported according to their age and development needs.

Steps we can use to engage young children to support Language & Communication

• Use of demonstration, modelling, and role-playing.

• Presentation of new information in the context of previously acquired information.

• Paraphrase often.

• Use simple structures, and avoid complex structures.

• Repeat the same sentence patterns and routines.

• Tailor questions for different levels of language competence and participation.

Encourage a love for reading by incorporating quality children's literature into everyday activities around the home & routines.

• Ask your child at mealtime – “What did the Hungry Caterpillar” eat on Monday? Or “Today is Monday, on Monday ………..” wait for them to recall & respond.

• Try to bring in concept, time & space, Beginning, Middle & End – “First Goldilocks did” & “then what did she do?” & “what happened next”

By bringing a favourite story sequence & event up for visual recall, you will not only boost your child’s literacy, but also visualisation & language expression you are enhancing neural pathway development & supporting cognitive scaffolding to support literacy joy.

Books referred to in this post:

• Today is Monday – Eric Carle

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle

• Goldilocks & the Three Bears – British traditional story