The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of
learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early
age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number
and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the
day in a language-rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children
are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary
added, practitioners will build children’s language effectively. Reading frequently
to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems,
and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new
words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive. Through
conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with
support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites
them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary
and language structures.