Imagine for a moment an early years setting where children spend more than half their time not talking. Does it seem likely? Well, that is exactly what researchers found when they observed a group of four-year-old children in a pre-school setting (Dickinson and Tabors, 2001).Their observations revealed that children spent 59 per cent of their time not talking at all. It is reminiscent of the popular Victorian saying, 'Children should be seen but not heard'.
It is beneficial for all practitioners to stand back for a while and just watch to see which children are always chatting and joining in with conversations, and which children choose to play alone or avoid any interaction. The results can be quite surprising.
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