Why Using Purposeful Language Daily is Critical for School Readiness

Featuring Tips and Tricks from Leslie Levine and Associates Inc., Speech and Language Pathologist, Atlanta, GA

October 2023

By Alissa Bryson

Did you know that language development is the number one most important skill for school readiness?

As our Preschoolers head into kindergarten there are so many things that we are told they need to be ready to do: use scissors, print their name, know how to count to 30, be ready to start reading; these expectations seem to grow more demanding as the years go by. But if language truly is the primary foundation for success in learning, why does it seem to not make the list long before elementary school begins? The answer is simply: most of us didn’t know!

So what is it that makes language the most important factor in learning foundations? Well, we cannot learn anything if we don’t understand what is being said to us and, similarly, we can not measure our knowledge if we are unable to communicate what we know. These two concepts are what we are working on with children from the moment they are born: Receptive Language- what a child understands, and Expressive Language- what a child expresses. Even our pre-verbal babies are communicating what they know! We have to recognize that every bit of behavior is a language of communication; children are continually reflecting back to us what they are learning.

How could language be more important than any other skill?

Using descriptive language helps children identify social connections. It allows them to begin to understand words for different places, people, and expected items and they come to know what to expect in familiar places. This familiarity helps them feel safe to begin interacting with their environment. It lays groundwork for connection with others and setting standards, and context, for different situations or listeners they might encounter. For example, children might be taught that it is perfectly good to yell and use a loud voice at the park, but then a restaurant may require a calm body and a much quieter voice. As adults explain, model and correct behaviors in different scenarios, children are soaking in the information and filing it away in their brains until the next time they encounter a similar circumstance. As they get older, their speech and language skills begin to offer them success in social interactions and understanding in social exchanges.

Good language skills help us to tell stories; children learn to share their feelings and take turns with others which leads to mutual conversation. As awareness of others grows, well developed language skills help children meet new encounters with confidence in their ability to express themselves and understand what is going on around them. When we are secure in our ability to manage our circumstances, bodies, and feelings, we become much more open to being challenged and learning.

What can we do to create a rich language environment for our early learners?

1) We talk to them:

Now this isn’t to say that children need nonstop chatter (anyone with a 4-year-old knows that everyone’s ears can use a break). What they benefit from is purposeful, expressive talk narrating as we do activities, when we are entering new spaces, or when we are experiencing feelings. Children watch our expressions, our body language, and our reactions as much as words being said. They internalize and mimic what they see as they develop understanding, and they learn vocabulary to be able to describe this understanding. Then one day, POP! They are able to tell you all about their experiences using the framework they have been taking in since day one.

2) We read to them:

Books for kids contain up to 50% more words than they are likely to encounter in daily conversation or TV programming (literacyproj.org). The two key factors indicating success for entering school are a child’s capacity to talk, and the size of their vocabulary. Reading is a fantastic way to expand both areas. Consider instead of just reading the story to invite your child to interact with a book by asking them relevant questions and also engaging with you! Amazingly, by the age of three, 85% of a child’s brain has developed. The first 5 years of life is the most critical time for engaging cognitive development and laying neural pathways. In fact, parents who are speaking to their babies ongoingly give their children up to 300 more words by age two than those who don’t. In the case of verbal language, quantity matters! So let’s crack open those books and bring our children into wherever the conversation leads.

3) We use predictable routines with expansive language:

Children learn best through repetition! And while it can be exhausting reading the same book over and over, this is exactly how a child’s brain sorts through information; information is filed into the appropriate ‘folder’ so it can be accessed any time they encounter a similar environment. Children are constantly sorting through our verbal, and non-verbal, communication and adding it to their knowledge base. But this isn’t just through reading! Parents can best support expansive language by narrating routine activities such as:

· Bedtime routine

· Getting ready to leave the house routine

· Getting dressed everyday

· Moving from one activity to another

· How to use certain materials/cleaning up

As we talk through these actions, children are not only learning associated vocabulary (and what they need to do!), they are also taking in more subtle communication such as phrasing, syntax, correlations, and even social cues. The more we engage our children in these processes, the better these ideas will stick with them and support their understanding as their world grows. Continue adding more words and concepts to these routines as you build the child’s framework for each time or environment. And there is no need to hold back on those big words! We want to challenge children to use that vocabulary! All we have to do is supply the definition of those words and model where to use them. It is a lot of fun to hear your preschooler insist they feel discombobulated.

How do we Keep the Conversation Going?:

Slow your roll! - Keep in mind that children truly do not always internalize words as fast as we sometimes talk, and they can miss vital communication. Make sure that you are speaking at a pace they can understand; make good eye contact and check they understand by asking them to tell you what they need to do. If they don’t understand, they likely won’t be able to answer, so try again!

Simplify your words - If you find your child is struggling to follow directions, is lagging behind, or doesn’t seem to respond to your questions, we may just need to simplify what was said. Adults sometimes take for granted that children remember what words mean or really understand what we are saying. This doesn’t contradict using big words, but rather that we only need to take a moment and explain our meaning. Remember to physically get down to their level; making eye contact is always the best strategy to gain their attention.

Avoid conversational stoppers - We are busy people! But we can get so caught up in our day-to-day routines and forget to allow time for children to respond back to us.

Some things we really want to try and AVOID:

· Swooping in and doing, or talking, for them: Every time you can, allow children to take the time to accomplish tasks on their own. It is ok for them to be mildly frustrated; this is a great time to support them in sharing what is happening, talking through what is needed, and expressing their feelings. Learning to work through frustration is very underrated skill for success.

· Asking Yes and No Questions: One-word answers are very limiting. They don’t offer a child any room to consider a variety of conversational topics. Whenever possible, try asking open-ended questions to encourage practice. For example, instead of “Would you like a sandwich for lunch?” you can say “What would you like in your sandwich for lunch?” (remember to only offer choices that you can deliver!). This leaves the door open for children to express their preferences, to identify items that may not always come up in daily talk, and practice receiving and responding to requests.

· Rushing a response: Children’s brains have a lot of information to filter through to arrive at a response. They’ve only been here a short while! Give them ample, unpressured, time to decide on a response as often as possible and model those great conversation skills of waiting for an answer. (This doesn’t mean you can’t gently help them along!)

· Asking multiple questions at once: Rapid questions will likely confuse and overwhelm their ability to hear what you’re asking; they may not be able to focus on any one answer. Try one question at a time.

· Asking questions that test knowledge: We love hearing our children get answers right, so we ask a lot of questions when they’re young and celebrate their correct responses. What color is this? Count to 3!... Testing knowledge by having them repeat answers back or identify items without context is actually a memorized sound clip they know elicits a positive reaction from adults. If you want to check in on what they really know, it is more effective to ask them to show you: Can you point to the things that a blue? (can they identify this color in different contexts than the same usual things they associate with what you’ve told them is blue?). Can you tell me how many rocks there are? (a prompt to count with one-to-one correspondence begins to teach them that it isn’t the sequence that defines counting, it is that each item has 1 value). Approaching learning this way gives us a wide open opportunity into conversation to expand that language even further. As Einstein said, “If you can’t explain something to a six-year-old, then you don’t understand it yourself” applies here- true learning is shown by being able to apply the information to different environments, so use this kind of informative conversation to stretch the child’s ceiling on everything they encounter.

So how do you tell if your child might need support? By 3 years a child should be about 75% intelligible to an unfamiliar listener, and 90% by age 4.

All this information is a great tool but remember there is no need to get overwhelmed! Children develop in their own time. What you really want to look for is progress, not perfection. But if you do think that your child could use a little support in their speech and communication skills, there is help close by. You can always partner with your teachers, or for a more comprehensive understanding you might choose the support of a speech therapist in your community.

*If you are interested in speech support or would like to have your child assessed for additional support, consider reaching out to Leslie Levine & Associates.

Check them out at www.LLAtherapy.com or give them a call: 678.641.9400