Knowing when to step back, good quality conversations, space for both talking and listening, interacting with the environment around you…Gillian Craig shares her expertise as a language teacher and consultant, as well as a parent herself. We problematise when is the right time to stop babbling back to a child, how much choice we give to children, should we use ‘big’ words with children, whether watching TV is useful for learning language, creating a need to communicate, and much more…

Read Gillian’s article here:

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/why-is-my-child-not-speaking-yet

Listen to more:

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:

My child can’t write yet – Helen Battelley

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/my-child-cant-write-yet-the-foundations-of-early-writing/

My child can’t read yet – Stacy Benge

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/my-child-cant-read-yet/

Episodes mentioned in this recording: 

Proactively promoting positive mental health – Matt Bawler

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/proactively-promoting-positive-mental-health/

The power of play in the absence of language – Marlis Juerging-Coles

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/bridging-language-barriers-for-eal-children/

 Episode break down:

00:00 – My own concerns as a parent 04:30 – The intersections of parent and educator 06:00 – More input is not always better! 09:00 – Language learning through everyday routines 13:45 – Treating your child like they DO understand language 14:15 – Serve and return interactions 16:00 – You ARE doing the right things! 19:00 – If a child is not ready, don’t force them! 21:50 – Don’t always fill gaps of silence! 24:00 – Reading stories is SO valuable 26:40 – Giving children a NEED to communicate 28:50 – Is babbling back to babies ok? 36:55 – Don’t be scared of using ‘big’ words 41:30 – Labelling feelings to support self-regulation 42:30 – How watching TV can support language 52:00 – Top tips for parents and educators in Gillian’s article

For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com