Preschool Language Development

Enhancing Language Development for Preschoolers

As I continue to do research on helping young pre-kindergarten children develop language, here are some nuggets I gleaned from an article in Early Childhood News.The article is titled "Enhancing the Language Development of Young Children" by Sandra Crosser, Ph. D. 

This is what she suggest doing in order to develop language in young preschoolers:

• An interactive reading style where children are encouraged to make comments, predict events, and ask questions about the story and illustrations during reading. We don't want quiet children while the story is being read. Kids need to encourage children to talk about the story while it is being read
• Reread stories time and again. It encourages students to really key in on the words/vocabulary of the story.
• Look for really good children's literature which contain strong story lines, good poetry, and make sure to include non-fiction books.
• Encourage three- and four-year-olds to ask questions. When we do this, we promote language.
• Certain types of play and playthings promote language development. Some examples are telephones in different centers, people added to the toy car collection, puppets, changing the dramatic play center to a shoe store, gas station, campground, stuffed animal clinic, pizza parlor, or workout gym where children the adult facilitate the special and technical vocabulary for each one
• Use language props such as a pretend microphone, a walkie talkie, a megaphone, and a tape recorder. A comfortable listening center where students can listen to books on tape is another suggestion.
• Use actions in songs and music to have children expand their vocabularies. The can slither, leap, or waddle. Using movement can also help children learn what it b\means to glide, slide, stomp, march, tiptoe, gallop, lung, twist, twirl, and flop.
• Finally, the author encourages preschool teachers to engage in focused conversation with young children. 

Ms. Crosser ends her article by saying that in order for all of the above to be successful, children need to feel like they have a warm, safe, secure environment.