Ready 4 Learning

The Importance of Ordinary Daily Talk for Young Children

Talking with a young child who doesn't reply may seem like an unusual thing to do - but just think about it for a minute . . . In order to learn the language, a child has to hear the language; the more words the child hears, the more words he or she is learning. The talk doesn't have to be anything special. Ordinary daily talk is all that's needed.

Here's a link to a quick video that shows what such interactions between mother and baby look like and sound like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S2YlqcsF2Ms&noredirect=1

Using ordinary daily talk with an infant or toddler is really just speaking out loud as you go through your daily routine - saying what's happening, describing what you are doing, and naming the objects that are involved with this activity.

Another way to to encourage a young child's learning is to follow his or her lead in playing. Gifted with curiosity about the world, young children look at and reach for things of interest to them. When this is happening, use words to name the objects involved, and describe what's happening.

This may sound like a small thing, but it has big implications for language development and learning!

Children learn words and sentences by talking, singing, playing, and reading directly with their parents and caregivers. A child gets much more from the sound of the their voices and the time they spend with him or her than from fancy or expensive toys, flashcards, and TV shows. Luminous screens (TVs, DVDs, computers and the like) are not the best way for a child to learn language. Parents and caregivers are!

Find out more more about how young children learn language on Alberta's Raising Children website: 

http://www.programs.alberta.ca/Living/14651.aspx?N=770&Ns=14530+14532+14590