Nursery World - Learning & Development C&L: In the moment

Children benefit enormously language-wise when practitioners and
parents dedicate time to meaningful interaction, says Michael Jones.

Engaging in meaningful interaction and conversation is central to children's language learning. For young children, the most meaningful communication involves adults commenting on what children are doing and responding to their comments and questions, while adults ask relevant questions of their own. However, the biggest challenge for practitioners, particularly in pre-schools and foundation classes, is the ratio of many children to few adults.

For several years, my colleagues and I have been tussling with the vexed question of how we can have such detailed interactions and conversations with children. These are particularly important for children learning English as an additional language and those who are at risk of language delay.

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