Talk about things which interest young children and listen and respond to their ideas and questions. For children learning English as an additional language, value non-verbal communications and those offered in home languages. Respond by adding to words, gesture, objects and other visual cues to support two-way understanding.
Talk about what you're going to do, where you're going and what you have just done.
Talk through TV programmes, videos or DVDs you've watched together. Children will not always understand what they have seen.
Carry on recasting (repeating) what children say. This makes it clear you are listening and value what they say but also allows them to hear and see a more 'grown up' version.
Help children begin to negotiate with one another using language. For example, if they want to join in a game or if another child has a toy they want to play with, talk about what they could say and model it for them.
Language for Thinking
Use talk to describe what children are doing by providing a running commentary: "Oh, I can see what you are doing, you have to put the milk in the cup first".
Provide opportunities for children to talk with other children and adults about what they see, hear, think and feel.
Encourage children to learn one another's names and to pronounce them correctly. Ensure all staff can pronounce the names of children, parents and other staff members.
Linking Sounds and Letters
Encourage repetition, rhythm and rhyme by using tone and intonation as you tell, recite or sing stories, poems and rhymes from books.
Use rhymes from a variety of cultures and ask parents to share their favourites from their home languages.
Be aware of the needs of children learning English as an additional language.
Keep background noise to a minimum.
Share favourite books over and over again, particularly ones with repeated, rhythmical words that children can join in with.
Repeat familiar tunes and words relating to people, objects and actions with which the children are familiar. Make these more interesting to listen to by using a strong beat, rhythm and lots of repetition.
Reading
Find opportunities to tell and read stories to children, using puppets, soft toys, or real objects as props.
Writing
Draw attention to marks, signs and symbols in the environment and talk about what they represent. Ensure this involves recognition of English and other relevant scripts.
Handwriting
Encourage children to handle and manipulate a variety of media and implements, for example, clay, finger-paint, spoons, brushes and shells.
Working with clay - In a nursery class, a child spends some time independently exploring clay. [transcript]
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Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
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