High-quality interactions start with Following the Child’s Lead. Educators can do this by paying attention to what the child is interested in, and then asking a genuine question or making a comment that builds on those interests. 

Rich interactions that support language development rarely happen when children are in large groups. Small groups of 3-5 work best. This number makes it easier for the educator to engage and attend to each child.

Children need language to develop a variety of other skills, including literacy, math and social skills. This makes language the “super skill” that paves the way to a child’s best learning.

Around the age of three, children in early childhood settings begin to interact more with their peers than with their educators, making peer interaction an important context for practicing language and social skills. This gives educators the important role of supporting peer interaction opportunities for all children so that no child misses out. 

Large open spaces can make it difficult for children to stay focused on the same activity. Children tend to stay to play and interact for longer when you create defined areas or “nooks” for different activities, such as the block centre, dramatic centre or book reading area.

Playtime

Relate what happens during play to a child’s own personal experience. For example, if a child is playing with a cash register and paper money, ask about their experience at a real grocery store. Ask what they bought with real money at the store. Make comments to keep the conversation going back and forth for at least five turns.

Daily Activities  

While having snack, ask a child a “What if?” question to encourage conversation. For example, “What if I opened this bag of crackers, but instead of crackers, I found Lego inside?” Try to keep the conversation going for many back and forth turns. 

On the Go  

If a child points out a delivery person in the building or while out on a walk, follow their lead and ask a question that will inspire some back and forth conversation. Instead of asking a testing question like, “What do we call the person who delivers mail?”, ask something open-ended, like, “What do you think is in the package they’re delivering?” 

Book Reading  

Pause at an exciting point in a familiar book and wait for a child to do or say something. For example, if they point to a picture and say, “Bird”, follow their lead and say something about the bird such as, “The bird is eating a worm.” Wait to see what the child says or does next. Then make a related comment.