This prime area of learning involves:

• Giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment;
• To develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves;
• To speak and listen in a range of situations.

At Kids Kingdom, some of the ways we do this are by providing a wide range of first hand experiences which introduce children to new language; having lots of opportunities for high quality interactions with adults and with other children; and by sharing lots of stories and rhymes.

What you can do to help your child:

• Speaking and listening are also the foundations of reading and writing.
• Everyday activities, such as preparing a meal, going shopping or walking to and from school give you a chance to talk with your child, explaining what you are doing.
• Books will have lots of new words for you to discuss with your child.
• Share a story every day, talk about the pictures and ask your child to tell you about the story. Reading the same favourite story may get boring for you, but helps your child’s understanding of language.
• Listen to your child telling you about a favourite activity or the painting they bring home which to you just looks like a blob of colour. “Tell me about your picture” will often lead to a long explanation!
• Ask ‘why?’ – It’s your child’s favourite word, so try asking it back! It will encourage your child to think about what they are saying and to use reasoning.