Communication & Language at Pre-school

The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number
and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, staff build children’s language effectively.

Staff frequently read to children throughout the day, and engage them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems. They also provide children with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts:  giving them the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teachers, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures. This is further supported through weekly Concept Cat sessions, where children learn new vocabulary, related to key concepts which are revisited throughout the week in focussed activities and incidental conversation.