and be curious about everything around them.
This isn't just a coincidence but part of the child's physiological make-up which provides them with ways to find out, test and learn all they can about their immediate environment and the people around them.
If we stand back and listen to children, we will see what capable thinkers and learners they are and what infinite potential they have to communicate their ideas through their conversations and 'chat' as well as their many other 'languages' (see box).
Chatting leads to conversational language, which is an important tool for thinking and a fundamental part of children's learning. Language, particularly talking, is inextricably linked to learning; you cannot have one without the other. So, the belief that 'it's good to talk' is certainly true for young children. Adults need to acknowledge this and give children the time and space to talk with themselves, with others and with adults.
A good starting point is the 'talking tool-kit' which all children have and which contains the important skills and dispositions they need for thinking and learning. Of course, this is a 'virtual tool-kit' which exists within the child, and it already contains their innate need to communicate, chatter, ask questions and seek answers as well as many other skills.
We need to build on these innate skills and use them to develop children's conversational language into the realms of imagination and creative thinking. However, when you start to unpick the skills and dispositions of conversational language you realise what a complex process children are engaging in.
Having a conversation involves so many skills - speaking, listening, turn-taking, watching, generating ideas, reflection, and many other aspects which are linked to children's thinking and learning. The following examples explain the value of conversation in more depth: Speaking Children learn about all aspects of language by:
* playing with sounds and words
* exercising the parts of the mouth, throat and lungs that are used for speaking
* enjoying language in their 'flirtatious dialogues' (Gopnik et al, 1999)
* making their needs known
* making their thinking known
* finding their voice.
Listening Through conversation, children start to:
* know that speaking also requires listening
* learn to listen and be a part of the conversation
* appreciate that they are being listened to
* listen to language around them, including what they see, feel, smell, taste.
Turn-taking Children come to understand that:
* conversation includes taking turns, speaking, then listening
* speaking is a collaboration, an equal partnership between two people Watching Speaking involves watching:
* others and copying them as they model language
* everything, and everybody around us, to absorb all experiences.
Formulating ideas Speaking generates ideas and thinking at any age. A baby babbles with delight as they control a game of 'I drop the rattle and you pick it up', or a four-year-old ponders how to make the wheels turn on the car she has just made.
Confirming and clarifying thoughts Conversations with others help to confirm and clarify what we think. By speaking about experiences, including learning, young children can reaffirm themselves and gain confidence in what they are doing. They can check and re-check their ideas collaboratively Making ideas and thinking visible In a conversation children's ideas and thinking are made visible and are usually related to something that interests them and is based in the reality and context of their lives - for example, 'Why does the snow disappear?' or 'Why can't I jump as high as the cat?' It is only by giving them opportunities to talk that we can begin to understand what is going on in their heads Building confidence and self-esteem Confidence and self-esteem arise out of being listened to and accepted. One of the key ways in which this happens is through children's conversation. If their own conversations are accepted, children quickly learn that their views, ideas and talk are valued. Through conversation, children gain affirmation and the courage to contribute as well as being able to express their own needs, wishes and thoughts. They become more in touch with themselves and gain a sense of positive well-being.
Sharing emotions and feelings Talking with others is a way of sharing our emotions and feelings. Babies will communicate how they feel through conversations that are based on being held and cuddled or through gazing and kicking their legs. They will also communicate through different types of crying. A hungry cry is very different in sound and intensity to a bored and lonely cry, which is saying 'come and talk to me'.
If we are to understand children's emotions and feelings, we really have to listen to them. If we make sure that relaxed and enjoyable conversations are part of everyday life then children will learn that they can say how they feel and that it will be accepted and respected.
A sign of love and friendship Talking with and including children in a conversation is a sign of acceptance, love and friendship. Often the 'conversation' we have with babies is an affectionate, loving dialogue with words and phrases that only make sense to the participants. Conversations (verbal or non-verbal) are ways in which we can communicate that we care for someone. This is all part of building strong and equal relationships .
Simple and slow Conversations are far more complex than they first appear and are an important part of the child's repertoire of communication skills. They arise out of everyday happenings and routines and are spontaneous in their nature. Adults need to capitalise on this 'hidden' asset, which fascinates young children and inspires them to talk and talk.
Take, for example, a walk in the park. Looking at the ducks, watching other children, being in a pram or running in Wellingtons and stamping in puddles are all simple pleasures that can engage children in rich and meaningful conversations.
Young children do not need expensive toys and technology to stimulate talk - they need simple everyday experiences that are rich in opportunities to talk together and start a conversation built on what interests the child.
Most meaningful are 'slow' conversations - unhurried exchanges based on equal partnership and turn-taking and shared in 'slow time', outside the usual fast pace of our frenetic lifestyles.
Such conversations matter most because they focus directly on what interests the child and are not dominated by the adult. It is these conversations, however long or short, which say to the child, 'I am interested in you and what you think' and 'I respect what you say'. They are also the conversations that stick in children's minds (and in adults') and create a valuable bridge between learning and understanding.
