Nursery World - Key theories: Talk it through

The leading theories about how young children acquire and develop language, and how early years workers can use them, are outlined by Tricia David

The leading theories about how young children acquire and develop language, and how early years workers can use them, are outlined by Tricia David

Young children become amazingly proficient communicators during the first three years of life. As the Birth to Three Matters framework points out, they use 'the hundred languages of children' - body language (including facial expressions and dance); sign language (their own and family inventions as well as an officially recognised sign language); painting, drawing and mark-making; and oral expression. They have been acutely active listeners since their days in the womb, where they learned to recognise the speech patterns, tunes and tones of the languages used in their home contexts.

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