Play and language development are essential to the lives of children. Play is one of the main ways children learn about the world around them and hone new skills. Language development is an important skill that sets a child up to learn new concepts and build relationships with others. Adults, whether they be parents, therapists, or teachers, can help "scaffold" a child's language through the use of child directed play.
Why Is Play Important?
Play is one of the primary occupations of children. It is how they learn about the world around them, hone skills, and relate to others. Through play, children can safely explore their environment and experiment with different concepts and actions. Think of play as practice. Play allows children to practice their problem-solving skills, develop their creativity, improve their motor functioning, and engage in hands-on experiences through a fun activity.
"Research has... shown that when children have the opportunity to learn in play-based curricula, they are more motivated to learn in later grades" (Wasik & Jacobi-Vessels, 2017). There are several different types of play. An important type of play for language development is scaffold play, which is guided by an adult and directed by the child(ren). As the director, the child is an active agent in determining the direction and content of the play. As the guide, the adult may have a set of learning goals to incorporate within the play. The adult encourages the child and seeks opportunities for the child to learn as they play.
Why Is Language Development Important?
A strong oral language foundation is essential for later academic success in areas such as math and reading. Language is also essential to a child's ability to relate to others and the development of their socio-emotional wellbeing. In fact, "[c]hildren with poorer language skills have been found to show greater behavior problems and are more likely to be rejected by their peers" (Wasik & Jacobi-Vessels, 2017).
Typical Language Development
It's important to remember that children learn language at different rates and the range of typical language behavior at different ages varies widely. Typically, "children can understand much more than they are able to express [meaning that their] receptive language is greater than their expressive language" (Laikko & Laikko, 2016). Some general guidelines of language development are:
18 months old: vocabulary of about 50 words (if the child is using fewer than 10-20 words, consider seeking advice/consultation)
24 months: vocabulary of about 200-300 words (if the child is using fewer than 50 words, consider seeking advice/consultation)
3 years old: vocabulary of about 500-1000 words
5-7 years old: vocabulary of about 3000-5000 words
Encouraging Language Development During Play
Research shows that "children who have more opportunities to have language exchanges with adults have more well-developed language skills and vocabulary" (Wasik & Jacobi-Vessels, 2017). During scaffold play, here are some key principles to keep in mind from the article "Word Play: Scaffolding Language Development Through Child Directed Play" by Wasik and Jacobi-Vessels:
Ask questions that encourage responses, such as commentary or follow up questions.
Provide meaningful feedback to the child.
Introduce new vocabulary words.
Wait to allow the child time and opportunity to respond.
Here are some practical suggestions to implement these principles:
Take advantage of opportunities to repeat words or phrases so that the child has multiple and meaningful exposure to them.
After you ask a question, engage in active listening and patience as the child responds. Allow the child space and time to respond. This is called wait time. "Providing young children with wait time to answer questions during play is critical [and]... sends the message that the listener values what the child is saying" (Wasik & Jacobi-Vessels, 2017).
Sometimes a child needs help or doesn't know how to respond. In this case, the adult should facilitate. Always answer a question the child couldn't answer so she can learn.
Define words. Children are more likely to learn a word if they are given the definition.
Use synonyms in real time. For example, if you are playing hop scotch, you can use several different words to talk about the activity (jump, hop, leap) and teach the child their common meaning.
Ask open-ended questions. Instead of asking, "Is the block red?" ask, "What color is the block?"
Encourage the use of explanations and details. For example, if you are playing with blocks, ask the child, "What are you building with the blocks?" The child might say that she is building a castle. This is an opportunity to encourage further use of language by asking the child what a castle is.
Introduce new vocabulary words by describing and talking about what you and the child are playing. For example, after the child attempts to define what a castle is, you can introduce and describe related vocabulary words such as tower, bridge, roof, king, queen, and so on.
Encourage problem-solving by asking questions like, "How can you build the castle's bridge?"
Provide feedback by repeating what the child says or means by using more developed language. If the child responds with, "like this," you can respond with, "Yes, you're making a bridge by putting three blocks on top of one another." This is called parallel talk (describing what someone else is doing as they're doing it) and expansion (rewording what the child said using proper structure and more advanced vocabulary).
Change the tone and volume of your voice. These are key components of effective verbal communication. By appropriately using tone and volume and describing these aspects to the child, she can learn how to better utilize them in her own speech. Label your voice by saying, "This is my loud/soft/silly/scared/serious voice," and then explain why and when you use that voice.
The Purpose
Providing opportunities for language development and utilizing these research-based techniques can also increase a child's motivation for learning and have positive impacts on the development of their unique identity.
It's also important to remember that children "learn language at different rates but in similar stages" (Laikko & Laikko, 2016). First they coo and babble, then they use single words, then phrases, then sentences, then paragraphs, then whole stories. Meet each child where she is at and set realistic and appropriate expectations as you encourage and facilitate language development.
REFERENCES
Laikko, T., & Laikko, L. (2016).Talking With Your Toddler 50 Fun Activities and Interactive Games That Teach Your Child to Talk. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press.
Wasik, B. A., & Jacobi-Vessels, J. L. (2017). Word Play: Scaffolding Language Development Through Child-Directed Play. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(6), 769–776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-016-0827-5 Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
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