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Infant/Toddler Language Development

Creating a Language-Rich Environment

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Learning ObjectivesParticipants will be able to:

• Discuss the importance of the early learning environment in supporting early language development.

• Explain how infants are born with an innate capacity to learn language, and how they play an active role in their learning.

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Learning Objectives (continued)Participants will be able to:

• Reflect on the care teacher’s role in providing an environment which supports early language development.

• Explore ways to provide open-ended activities and play materials to stimulate language and communication.

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Creating a Language-Rich Environment• Adults have a huge impact on

language. For example, research has shown that adults who frequently talk to infants help expand the infant’s vocabularies (Hart & Risely, 1995).

• It is clear that infants benefit enormously from being bathed in language. But “bathing” children in language is different from “drowning” them.

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Creating a Language-Rich Environment

Infants need caregivers who both talk with them and listen, giving the children a chance to communicate.

(Early Messages: Facilitating Language Development and Communication).

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Creating a Communication-Friendly Environment

• It’s hard for infants and toddlers to filter out background noise.

• Infants and care teachers should have places to read, do finger plays and sing together.

• The environment should have interesting and familiar things that children can talk about.

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Reflection Activity

Reflect on the following:

1. What are some open-ended play materials you have in your program/family child care home?

2. What happens when you engage children in open-ended play?

3. How do small groups help to promote language development?

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Impact of Excessive Background Noise

• Humans can tolerate only certain amounts of noise. If stimulation becomes excessive, adults often try to deal with it by tuning it out (filtering).

• For infants and toddlers, the danger is that in trying to filter out excess, unwanted stimulation, they may also filter out features of the environment that promote development.

Adapted from: A Guide to Cognitive Development & Learning: The Physical Environment and Its Role in Influencing the Development of Infants and Toddlers

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Impact of Excessive Background Noise

• For example, research studies have shown that children who live in noisy conditions are less sensitive to language stimulation than are children who live in quiet surroundings.

• This decreased sensitivity is believed to occur because in filtering out the unwanted noise, the children are also tuning out adult speech sounds as well.

Adapted from: A Guide to Cognitive Development & Learning: The Physical Environment and Its Role in Influencing the Development of Infants and Toddlers

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Noise in the Environment• How did it feel? Was there any point where you felt

irritated or perturbed? Why?

• How might a child feel in an environment with constant music in the background?

• How does constant background noise affect people’s behavior?

• In what ways do you think it affects a child’s language development?

• What is your “take home” message from this experience? What will you do differently in your own environment as a result of this conversation?

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BREAK

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Six Steps to Follow the Child’s Lead

1. Observe, Wait and Listen (OWL) • Observe for what the child is interested

in.• Wait to give the child a chance to initiate

or get involved. Waiting can be hard to do. Try counting to10, while looking expectant and leaning forward.

• Listen to what the child is trying to tell you. Once the child initiates, respond with interest and enthusiasm. Then, wait again for him to respond.

Adapted from : Teacher Talk Series: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings, The Hanen Program

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Six Steps to Follow the Child’s Lead

2. Be face to face – Get down to the child’s physical level. Make sure you’re face to face so you can look directly into each other’s eyes. Being face to face brings you physically and emotionally closer to your child and makes your child feel that you’re really with her.

3. Imitate – do or say what the child does and says.

Adapted from : Teacher Talk Series: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings, The Hanen Program

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Six Steps to Follow the Child’s Lead

4. Interpret – with mobile infants and younger toddlers, messages are sometimes unclear. Interpret children’s messages by matching words to what they seem to be telling you through actions, sounds, gestures, or word attempts.

Adapted from : Teacher Talk Series: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings, The Hanen Program

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Six Steps to Follow the Child’s Lead

5. Comment – Make comments when children initiate. This shows them you are interested and that you received their messages. At the same time, your comments give children information they can learn from. For infants at earlier stages, use short, simple comments. Also draw children’s attention to new or important words by emphasizing and repeating words as you speak.

Adapted from : Teacher Talk Series: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings, The Hanen Program

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Commenting

When commenting:

• Respond immediately – or you may lose your opportunity.

• Reflect what the child is interested in – or you may lose the child.

Adapted from : Teacher Talk Series: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings, The Hanen Program

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Commenting

• Respond with warmth and enthusiasm – and you will build the child’s confidence and desire to interact.

• Wait to see if the child will respond to what you have said. Some children need time to think before responding.

Adapted from : Teacher Talk Series: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings, The Hanen Program

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Six Steps to Follow the Child’s Lead

6. Join in and play – when children are playing, the best way to follow their lead is to join in, especially if you act like a kid yourself!

Adapted from : Teacher Talk Series: Encouraging Language Development in Early Childhood Settings, The Hanen Program

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Summary

• Care teachers provide an environment where children can hear language and be responded to in a respectful way, and in which caregiver teachers are playful and join in the play.

• In language rich environments, care teachers provide opportunities where children can practice using both verbal and non-verbal language in different social contexts.

• Care teachers provide spaces that encourage interactions among peers to help young children develop language and social skills.