How to support your childs speaking and listening skills
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Why is speaking and listening so important? Children learn to
talk by listening Communication is a life long skill An essential
communication skill
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What does good listening look like? Eye contact! Your child
will watch your mouth movements and facial expressions, picking up
clues to help them.
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Listening development 1. Begins before birth: sounds from the
womb, then from birth: listening and turning to familiar voices 2.
Recognising common environmental sounds and looking in the
direction of the sound 3. Distinguishing between similar sounds 4.
Hearing rhyme, rhythm and pattern in language: the importance of
regular story time and singing rhymes 5. ALL listening is
important, not just to conversations, but stories, poems, rhymes,
songs and music
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Listening activities Sound lotto Singing Poems and rhymes
Music- listening to songs and using instruments Simon says
Instructions- board games Grandma went shopping. Who am I?
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Speaking activities Naming objects and sorting/classifying them
Using prepositions Using the language of size Singing and reciting
familiar stories and rhymes Action rhymes- naming body parts as you
complete the actions Encouraging your child to join in with repeats
during stories
Speech development 1. Begins with babbling at home- finding
their voice and realising how powerful it can be! 2. Naming objects
and possibly pointing too 3. Phrases: Me wee wee- children are
starting to put words together 4. Sentences: I went to the beach-
children are beginning to use the correct language in order 5.
Extended sentences: I went to the beach with Mummy and made
sandcastles- children are communicating more and related to the
same theme 6. Widening their vocabulary: practising using more
words and the new ones they hear
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The power of YOU! WE are the people who your children listen to
regularly and therefore they are learning language from US all the
time! Children repeat what we model so expose them to new words:
dont talk down to your child- they can do it!
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Speaking activities All of the listening games promote speech
but you must encourage you child to talk and practise using the
language they acquire. Busy families must allow their child time to
talkand we must listen! Dont repeat a mistake- No, not goed to the
park but model the correction Yes, we went to the park Children
need time to practise to improve.
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Phonics Phonics is simply the study of the sounds that
individual letters and groups of letters make Through the
understanding of phonics children can sound out words Children will
be given a limited number of books to read independently at this
stage Our system relies heavily on the Jolly Phonics approach (See
Jolly Phonics leaflet) At this stage games are used to promote
phonological awareness and daily letters and sounds teaching
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cat stuck Using Phonics goat
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Communication and Language There are 3 areas that we focus on
in the Early Years. Those being; Listening and Attention Speaking
Understanding
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Listening and Attention Children listen attentively in a range
of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key
events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments,
questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say
and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.
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Speaking Children express themselves effectively, showing
awareness of listeners' needs. They use past, present and future
forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or
are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and
explanations by connecting ideas or events.
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By the end of Reception the children should be able to
Understanding Children follow instructions involving several ideas
or actions. They answer 'how' and 'why' questions about their
experiences and in response to stories or events.
