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There is no greater gift that you can give a child than the ability to communicate. In this section you will find lots of information which will help you to support children's language and communication at each stage of development from birth to 5 years.
- Supporting Children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL)
- How Communication Develops
- Encouraging Good Communication
- The Early Years Foundation Stage
- Useful Local Contacts
- Useful links
- News
- Downloads
Supporting Children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Supporting children in becoming bilingual is a very important task for both families and settings with children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL). Becoming confident communicators in both their home language and English will help children to do well at school and lead happy and fulfilled lives.
Being able to speak more than one language ( being bilingual) has been shown to be a great asset. It helps children`s learning because they can think about ideas in both languages. They can learn other languages more easily and as they grow up they are able to communicate with more people both at home and around the world. It helps children stay connected to their families and communities, increasing their confidence and self esteem.
Supporting Children at Home
It is very important that from birth children are helped to develop good
communication skills in their first language. Becoming confident communicators in their first language helps children to learn English. They will have begun to understand how conversations work and how to express their feelings and thoughts and this will help them develop skills in English. They will already understand some ideas (eg numbers and colours ) and so will be able to pick up the English word that means the same thing more easily.
To help your children become confident communicators in your first language:
- talk to them throughout the day in your first language
- have fun singing songs and rhymes in your language
- use books and stories in your first language and encourage them to join in
- help your child to make friends and play with other children who speak the same language
- use the Talking Tips to help your child develop their language and communication skills
- help your child feel proud of your first language
If you want to speak English to your child as well as your first language try to make sure you keep it to a particular time of day or routine (eg a special meal time, special story time). During these times use lots of gestures and visual clues to help your child understand. Try to be consistent about when English is used as changing backwards and forwards between languages can be confusing for a child during the early stages of language and communication development.
It is more important to help them be confident in your first language than it is to introduce English.
Supporting Children in Early Years Settings
When a child who has English as an additional language (EAL) joins your setting it is very important to help them and their family feel as comfortable as possible with you. Children pick up a new language more easily if they feel comfortable and secure. You can help by:
- making sure you know how to pronounce the child`s and the family`s name
- using positive body language and tone of voice
- using non verbal clues to help them understand (eg gestures, pictures, signs)
- showing them the routines using simple, repetitive language supported with visual clues (eg a visual timetable)
- giving them lots of opportunity to listen and join in without having to make a verbal response
- pairing the child with a `buddy` who can act as a guide, friend and role model, depending on their age
- helping them to feel at home by displaying pictures, words and objects they are familiar with
- valuing their home language by learning a few key words and phrases
- making frequent use of the Talking Tips strategies
Imagining yourself in a different environment, where you don`t speak the language and thinking about how you would cope can help you develop imaginative ways of supporting families and children.
Many children go through a `silent` period when they first join a setting. This can last as long as six months, sometimes even longer. It is an important phase when they will be watching, listening and exploring. Giving them lots of opportunity to play, mix and communicate with other children will help them to learn at their own pace and gradually increase their confidence. During this phase it is important to speak to them as much as possible and pick up on their non verbal responses, in the same way as we do with young children who are not yet talking.