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Why it’s Never too Early to Start Talking to Young Children

Your charges are learning to communicate from birth, and the more you interact with them, the better they’ll do, says Clare McGread…

Clare McGread
by Clare McGread
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Communication, language and literacy skills are the foundation for a child’s learning abilities – the earlier a child is able to develop them, the better their chances are of developing social skills, doing well at school, getting a skilled job and living a happy and successful life.

But far too many children are having their futures cut short before they’ve even started. Last year, a quarter of five-year-olds entered primary school unable to read and write well – a gap most won’t recover from during their school life.

Talking is one of the most important communication skills a child will learn; it’s crucial to their life chances. Indeed, research shows that the number of words a child has in their vocabulary at the age of five can predict their future educational success as well as their outcomes at the age of 30.

Learning to talk is a process that starts at birth, when babies first start to distinguish the sounds and speech rhythms around them. Babies and young children learn to communicate by looking at people, listening and taking turns. We support them best by talking, and responding, them as much as possible.

Early years practitioners have a vital role to play in improving children’s early language skills – both within their settings and through supporting parents to communicate with their baby at home, so here are some top tips to apply to your practice and share with mums and dads…

1 | Follow the child

Get down to the child’s level and talk about what they are interested in.

2 | Express yourself

Put enthusiasm, energy and character in to your voice to best engage children with what you are saying. You can also try using hand gestures and facial expressions as clues to help children understand what you are saying.

3 | Use simple language

Keep your sentences short and your language simple. Speak slowly and clearly, and try to repeat your words, as this can encourage children to join in and learn new words.

4 | Ask questions, but don’t be a quizmaster

Questions can be helpful in teaching children new words and helping the understand instructions, but try not to ask too many – especially ones that sound like you’re testing the child, or which require yes or no answers.

Too many questions can make a child feel pressurised and reluctant to engage in conversation.

5 | Make talk meaningful

Children pick up language faster when it is relevant to what they are doing. Talk about what is happening, as it happens.

6 | Use all the senses

You can make learning new words fun and memorable by drawing on the different senses. For example, if you’re helping a child to learn the word ‘orange’, why not encourage them to hold and smell the fruit?

7 | Give children time

Children often need time to think before they speak, so be patient. Maintain eye contact while you are waiting for the child to respond, as this shows them you are still listening.

You should always respond to a child when they have said something to show that you value their words and to encourage them to continue talking.

8 | Add to what the child says

Wwhen a child says something to you, repeat what they have said back to them and add in some other words. For example, if a child says “ball”, you can reply, “Yes, it’s a red ball.” This will show that you have understood what the child has said and will model the next stage of language development.

9 | Create a language-rich environment

Surround children with language. Ensure that your setting has a range of colourful displays filled with words and pictures, useful resources and engaging activities, such as rhyme time, to promote talk.

10 | Reach out to parents

Parents are their child’s first and most enduring educators, so try to help them understand the importance of talking to their child at home.

The National Literacy Trust has a range of quick tips for parents to help their child develop good talking and listening skills, which are available in 17 different languages – visit literacytrust.org.uk/quick-tips.

Clare McGread is early years programme manager at the National Literacy Trust. For more information, visit literacytrust.org.uk/ttyb.

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