Listening and Speaking

Modelling

You play a vital role by being good language models. Children learn to speak by listening to language used around them. Take time to listen and respond to show that you value their talk. When you model how to take part in conversations through active listening and asking questions, you should: 

• Face the child who is speaking

• Make and keep eye contact

• Listen to what the child is saying and not interrupt

• Recast or paraphrase what the child has said to show understanding

• Extend and expand on what the child has said to build new vocabulary

• Recognise that children come from different homes and language backgrounds

• Adopt appropriate strategies to cater to their different stages of language development