A language-rich environment is vital to children’s early learning and social-emotional development. A language-rich environment isn’t just a room with books and a variety of print; it’s a room where children hear and participate in talking, singing, and reading.
Recent research from MIT has shown that not just language but an intentional conversation between an adult and a child is what can actually develop the child’s brain. Many children hear mostly directions—like “sit down” and “line up”—which don’t provide the opportunity to engage in a conversation. Try these strategies to improve Language Modeling and engage all children in rich conversations that will prepare them to be readers, writers, and thinkers.
Get down on the child’s physical level (by kneeling, for example).
Listen to what the child says or pay attention to what they are doing or pointing at.
Observe the child’s facial or body expressions.
Comment on what the child is doing and wait for a response.
“You like the trains. You’re working hard to build a large train track.”
Ask questions about what the child is doing or plans to do.
“What are your plans for those blocks?”
Repeat what the child says then add a little bit more or a new vocabulary word.
Label or describe:
Child: I like it.
Teacher: You like juicy peaches.
Provide more information:
Child: [Pointing outside] Dark!
Teacher: The sky is dark. It looks like it may rain soon.
Help make connections between what is happening in the classroom and what is happening in homes or communities.
“What does this remind you of?”
“You like playing with the stuffed animals. Do you have any animals at home?”
Instead of this … |
Try this! |
Adult: Eat your lunch. |
Adult: What are you having for lunch? |
Adult: Are you playing in the kitchen? Child: Yes. Adult: What are you cooking? Child: Noodles. Adult: Yum. |
Adult: What will you do in the kitchen today? |
Want more tools to help children's language development? Explore Teachstone's Literacy Support Kits available for pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms. The kit includes classroom materials, books, and guidance that support early reading skills. We also offer a Literacy-at-Home Kit to bring the power of intentional interactions to your program's family engagement efforts.