At Rachel Keeling Nursery School, we know how powerful the art of communication is. Every day our children, families and staff communicate in many ways, using signs, pictures, body language and words. We are incredibly fortunate that children and families in our community speak more than 16 languages (which is a lot of words!).
TUNING IN
When we come to look at talk and communication, we want to make sure our adults are skilled and sensitive. We must be conscious that we are ready to talk to and listen to children.
Make sure adults are available. Instead of having clipboards and iPads in their hands all day, their face and body should show they are ready to talk.
Being down at a child’s level is vital, so crouch, sit or kneel. Make eye contact (unless children are very shy, then go gently) and greet them with a smile or a nod, joining them in their play. Children know when you are interested in them and value their play. Make encouraging sounds or comments and try to ensure they are genuine. Thinking aloud is a great way to encourage interaction: ‘Hmmm… I wonder how I can open this box?’ If children are ready, ask some open-ended questions or mention a problem: ‘I need to find my keys!’
Some children may just be ready for simple labelling, so join in their play and verbalise some of the things they are doing. Genuinely listen to children as they play, notice whether they are using language, enjoy the silences. Read their body language and non-verbal communication – if a child leads you to the shelf and points to the box of cars, respond using simple language such as: ‘Cars, Omar wants the cars!’ If a child is speaking, do not interrupt them, encourage them by giving them your attention and time. If they make mistakes, don’t correct them immediately. You may like to rephrase gently when they have finished: ‘Oh, the monster ate the apple.’
TALK HOTSPOTS
Set aside some time for conversations in the day. The teaching day is a busy one and sometimes adult agendas can take over. Do you know where high-quality communication takes place in your environment? Involve the team in auditing talk hotspots: where does talk happen between children and children as compared to children and adults? Note the places and what kind of talk is occurring.
Discuss this as a team and look for the conditions that encourage talk: maybe not having enough spoons for everyone at the cooking area means children need to communicate to share. Perhaps only having shells and conkers in the home corner means children will extend their thinking and talk imaginatively.
Please remember, children listen to adult conversations: be mindful of adult-to-adult conversations in front of children. Minimise them and, if they need to happen, ensure they support the ethos of your setting: respectful, simple and joyful.
RICH LANGUAGE
We are focusing this year on our curriculum, and vocabulary is a massive part of this. Did you realise that the amount of vocabulary a child knows at five years old is one of the strongest predictors of future outcomes?
We are looking at deepening and expanding children’s vocabulary across the curriculum as they engage in concrete, first-hand experiences.
Make sure your staff have the correct vocabulary for the woodwork bench: do they know the tools and verbs for how to use the tools? Write them down and have the words displayed adjacently. We have created vocabulary boards in each learning space for this.
On our daily and weekly plans, we are specifically noting vocabulary that we will introduce and use with children. We talk to children explicitly about the words and their meanings. This is shared with the whole team so that all the staff can support children. In our children’s Special Books, we are ensuring vocabulary is shared to help parents support children at home. We also ensure the child’s voice is noted verbatim and dated so we can map children’s language development over time. Find a system that is manageable for your team.
MOTHER TONGUE
Remember, high-quality language is the key. As our families speak more than 16 languages, we encourage them to use their ‘mother tongue’ (or the language of their heart) with their child. As long as children have a good understanding of a language from home, they will find it easier to pick up another language and vocabulary at school.
Make sure your environment and adults enable children to access first-hand, concrete, exciting experiences.
