Eymp 2 4

EYMP 2 task 4.3 Use language that is accurate and appropriate in order to support and extend children's learning when undertaking activities.

Language is crucial to young children’s development; it is the essential key for learning, for communicating and building relationships with others as well as for enabling children to make sense of the world around them. My role in developing and encouraging language acquisition in children is therefore of the utmost importance.

Children learn most effectively through being involved in rich experiences and practical activities promoted through play. Me, as a practitioner, I need to join in this play, both talking with and listening to the children, taking into account their interests and previous experiences.
Children need confidence and opportunity to utilise their abilities in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes. As a practitioner I record observations of children’s play, learning and language achievements to determine if they need further support.
How do young children acquire their language?
Young children acquire language through significant others by interaction in their immediate environment, through responding to sounds, sentences and experiences expressed by their parents, family, us, as practitioners and other carers.
They begin by absorbing, listening and then imitating and practising. Their responses are reinforced by these significant others and patterns begin to emerge, even for the babies, as they try so hard to make sense of what is happening around them. Gradually they learn to reproduce sounds and words and establish an understanding of how language works, the structure and grammatical sense of putting these sounds and words together.

My role as a practitioner is to engage children in discussions so that they can develop their thinking and understanding of their experiences as well as a wide and varied vocabulary. Further along in their development, most children who have been exposed to enriching language experiences will be able to produce words and simple sentences.

Some of the activities to support the development of speaking skills that i am using includes the following:
• joining in with nursery rhymes, action songs and singing
• telling stories, sharing and recounting information, celebrations and events that are important to children
• circle time to provide opportunities for children to discuss, speak and listen to others’ ideas, feelings, emotions and events
• relaying messages, sharing greetings in daily routines and giving instructions to others
• discussing and describing objects and artefacts
• using stimuli for speaking and responding, such as treasure baskets and puppets
• role/imaginative play and drama activities that encourage children to talk to/communicate with each other
• working collaboratively towards a specific purpose/goal
• questioning visitors about their role in the community
• debates over topical and moral issues
• reviewing their work
• using ICT, such as taping children’s voices/conversations and playing them back to them for discussion.

During this activities I make sure I am offering to all children 'a go', addressing them with open questions, encouraging all of them to participate, listening and support their views.