A Parent's Guide
2
Do you have questions on how your child acquires language with your support?
Why do we acquire a language?
Thousands of languages and dialects have evolved over time and are currently spoken worldwide. With the help of languages, people can connect, share ideas, emotions, attitudes, conventions, and values, and build up societies. The context we grow up and live in shapes our values. Furthermore, it also shapes our language skills and vocabulary in all the languages we are familiar with (the so-called linguistic repertoire). The context also shapes how we speak, thus our cultural and language identity, and makes us who we are. Acquiring a language and later learning a language, e.g., in school, helps us connect to people "speaking the same language" as we do. For children, these people are their family, their friends, and later on, people in kindergarten, school, and professional contexts. They need to connect to all these groups. They need to express and share their experiences, ideas, and emotions with these groups.
How do we acquire or learn languages?
Our ability to acquire language(s) is innate. Children are typically amazingly keen and curious about acquiring and using language(s). Every child is capable of acquiring any language, even if many motoric and sensory prerequisites must be fulfilled (like lung function, hearing, mastering of vocal cord vibration, etc.).
Parents don't teach their family language to their children as one would learn a language in school. Typically, children acquire language(s) intuitively through significant authentic conversations in everyday, day-to-day contexts. They acquire their first language(s) by getting a lot of (non)verbal cues and imitating them as soon as they are physically capable. Children want to interact and do so as early as possible. However, to acquire a language, they must listen to and speak a lot with their family, the kindergarten teachers, neighbours, etc.
Children follow a step-by-step inner guide to language acquisition, with essential steps that are accomplished in the process of language comprehension and production. They learn the rules and the grammar "by doing". At about the age of 4-5, they can be considered to have reasonably acquired all language components (from words to grammar to typical expressions and how to pronounce and use language). This is the case as long as no physical or mental impairments hinder the process.
However, no child acquires language at the same pace as any other child. There are a lot of individual differences linked to language acquisition, which makes it hard to say at what point a child should have reached a certain step in the language acquisition process. In addition, this process never ends. There is always something new to learn, and children are highly motivated to explore new information and become more competent in the family and school languages. Children are eager to produce more complex sentences and understand the underlying meaning of words, sentences, humour, irony, etc.
Language Development
Summary: Every child acquires language at a different pace. Nevertheless, some steps in the language acquisition process are usually followed by children worldwide.
There is an innate sensibility to the characteristics and use of language(s):
Newborns worldwide are capable of recognising the melody of the language (so-called prosody) they hear regularly when still in their mother's belly. They can distinguish this prosody from unfamiliar prosodies.
Even when newborns cry, they imitate the melody of the language they are most familiar with.
Infants are universal listeners: They can distinguish even the smallest meaningful phonetic unit (so-called phoneme) in every language. But they lose this ability and specialise in the languages they are familiar with before they are one year old.
Babies coo, vocalise and bring consonants and vowels to syllables together (the so-called first and second babble phase). They explore language in any possible way, even before comprehending and producing single words.
Word comprehension and production:
Comprehending words comes first, followed by producing words.
At the beginning of word production, "one-word sentences" are common. For example, a child would point at a ball and say, "Ball," which could mean different things, like "There is a ball" or "Let's play with that ball."
The number of words and expressions a child knows and can use is called the "lexicon." The first 50 words are acquired at a slower pace; afterwards, they grow considerably and fast. That is why this phase is also called word explosion.
The production of "two-word sentences" and "three-word sentences" follows. This is accompanied by a growing understanding of grammar and how words are arranged to build up correct sentences (the so-called syntax) in the specific language. A child typically refers to playing with a ball then as "Ball play." or "Mum play ball.". The grammar and syntax may still not be correct, but at this point, parents should not worry. It is normal for the child to playfully explore the rules of language(s). It will take time, but most of the children enjoy playing with words, with correct and incorrect forms, to make themselves understood. Parents can support their child by providing many opportunities for the child to participate in meaningful conversations that aim at the child's or joint interests (see later on in this chapter the section "how to support.").
Simple clauses and additional information that complete the simple clause (so-called main clauses and subordinate clauses) are mastered at about 4-5 years old. At this point, a child would, e.g., say, "Mum is playing ball with me today, and Dad will join us later." (main clause + and + main clause) or "Mum can't play ball with me today because she has to work." (main clause + subordinate clause). In both cases, the second part of the sentence involves some additional information explaining what will happen next or why something happens. At this age, children develop more and more an understanding of what "earlier," "later," "tomorrow," "yesterday," etc., mean. They also develop an understanding of the reasons and consequences for things that happened, happen or will happen. They express their growing understanding of the world by using more complex sentences and expressions.
With time, children also master the more complex language characteristics, like irony, humour, or different meanings of the same word, etc. They will start to tell jokes that may, at the beginning, not sound funny to you as a parent. However, these are steps towards developing a sense of humour, leading to more elaborate jokes and anecdotes with time.
How can language acquisition be supported?
The only support children usually need is a lot of opportunities to communicate about different topics with parents, siblings, peers, teachers, etc. Everyone may serve as a language role model. However, the first ones are typically found within the family as children spend most of their time in their first years within the families with the people who are most important to them.
As a parent, you contribute a lot to the so-called immersion into language(s). This means that you can help your child master and become a competent speaker through daily and continuous exposure to the family language and the school language.
The more you speak about different topics with your child - using different words and expressions or the same words in various ways - the more words your child will learn intuitively with time. It will help your child build a so-called rich vocabulary (= all the single words and expressions a person knows together). The more you accompany your actions with matching words (e.g. While watering the flowers, you can say, "I am watering the flowers. They need water."), the more you repeat the child's contributions correctly (e.g. the child says, "Mum, play with the ball." You can say: "You are right. Mum plays with the ball. Do you want the ball?"), the more you help your child to enlarge his vocabulary. By the way, you even correct grammatical mistakes. The more that parents support this language acquisition by repeating the correct forms within conversations with the child or asking open questions to invite the child to form new sentences (e.g., "What is Dad doing right now?”), the more the child can benefit from the interaction.
The more frequently a child hears correct forms of words and expressions and may participate in a conversation - which includes more than a yes or no answer from the child - the easier the child understands when to use which form or expression. The more you include playful ways to shape conversations (e.g., with songs, rhymes, dialogic reading, etc.) or join in with your child's playful ways of interacting, the more the child will stay interested and eager to communicate. In addition, your child will be exposed in this way to more grammar structures and will quickly learn the rules necessary to become a competent speaker. A rich vocabulary, the mastery of grammar, and specific language rules are essential for a successful school career later on.
Therefore, in a conversation with your child, it matters a lot how much you say, what you say, and how you say something. How well you listen and interact with your child also matters a lot. Your input and attitude influence the child's wish to contribute to a conversation!
Questions to think about:
- How much time do you spend talking with your child?
How much time do I spend talking with my child? - What are you speaking about?
What am I talking about when I speak with my child? - Do you read books regularly to or with your child?
Do I read books regularly to my child or with my child? - Do you tell and retell stories with your child?
Do I tell and retell stories with my child? - Do you regularly share experiences which inspire the use of a variety of words and expressions?
Do I regularly share experiences which inspire the use of a variety of words and expressions?
Takeaway messages:
- Children have an innate interest in communicating and sharing interests and needs. This is why they are strongly motivated to acquire/learn language(s).
- Every child has their own pace when it comes to language development.
- Family and the significant surrounding (e.g. kindergarten teachers)…
- …play an essential role in how and to what extent a child gets introduced to language acquisition.
- …may support the child tremendously with diverse and rich language input (e.g., conversations, books, songs, etc.).
Activity box:
Playing with your child can intensify any form of communication and language development. Within play situations, children can acquire words and expressions. Children develop, negotiate and renegotiate the rules of the games they play. Furthermore, they build and stabilise relationships when they are playing. They connect and socialise. At the same time, they are invited to explore language in an adventurous and exciting way. Thus, playful access to new words, grammar, and how sentences are built is a highly recommended strategy to foster language.
How can you support language development through activities?
You may want to initiate a game to support language acquisition actively, or you may profit from your child initiating play situations. This can happen anywhere, anytime, on the road or at home, when waiting for the bus or in a waiting room for your next doctor's appointment. Support for language acquisition can happen, for example, through…
…word games that initiate storytelling, like
-
"I packed my bag"
Rules of the game:
Option 1 for younger children: - You have an actual bag in front of you and, if possible, a variety of natural objects, so the child or children can choose one of these if nothing else comes to mind.
Option 2 for older children: - You imagine having a bag in front of you, and you share your ideas on what you want to pack.
First, you have to decide with the child/children where you want to travel to and why you will travel there. Then you can imagine what you need to pack for this adventure. Everyone has their own ideas and contributes to packing the bag.
The parent or kindergarten teacher may start the game by saying, "I packed my bag, and in it, I put a shirt." Then, it's the child's turn to pack something into the bag.
The child has to name the object that will be packed. In addition, they have to remember and name what else is already in the bag. Then, the next person continues the same way, filling the bag while naming everything already in it and the new object they add. Everyone is challenged to recall everything correctly (and for playing with older kids, it should also be remembered in the correct order). When everyone has put something in the bag, you can either stop the game or continue.
-
"Once upon a time, there was a …."
Rules of the game:
One person starts the game by saying: "Once upon a time, there was a little girl travelling to…". At this point, the child is invited to continue the storyline with two more sentences. Then again, the next person is asked to continue the story from when others left it. In this way, you ensure your child contributes more and more to the conversation. Every time you play this game, you create a new story together while having fun and laughing about the evolving story.
-
"I spy"
Rules of the game:
One person may start by saying, "I spy with my little eye something beginning with the letter A /, and its colour is blue." Everyone looks around and tries to figure out what the person meant. One after the other, the players try to guess the correct answer with the words "Could it be … ?" The one who guesses it correctly may take the lead now and spot another object to refer to.
-
"How was your day?"
Rules of the game:
You can also think of developing a night routine for a game. When you go to bed, take a few minutes to discuss your day by asking simple questions: 1) How are you feeling right now? 2) Do you want to tell us something about your day? 3) What new things did you find out / learn today? 4) What are you thankful for from this day? Everyone can answer these questions by taking turns. Younger children will probably add less elaborate answers at the beginning. Still, with time, you will see them adding more and more to the conversation.
You can actively search for words that start with a specific letter, as mentioned in-game c). From there on, you may base a conversation on your child's contribution to the game. For example, suppose your child wants to direct your interest towards a mug on the table. In that case, you can continue the conversation with questions about what the child likes to drink from a mug. Suppose the child mentions an object with yellow parts. In that case, you can deepen their interest by asking what else is yellow or even comment on other yellow objects you like yourself. This way, little by little, children acquire more words and their meanings.
You can even add some "activity" parts. For example, when you play the game of packing the bag, you could actually pack a bag with objects your child is bringing you. From there on, you can continue the conversation by asking, for example, about the destination the child wants to go to with the bag.
… objects and toys children love to play with and are available in most households as, e.g. a ball.
A ball stimulates motor and social competencies as well as language development. You can actively support this as a parent. Through playing with a ball, a child may understand the meaning of the words "slow" and "fast", "low" and "high", "left" and "right", etc. A ball may roll "under a table" or be placed "on a chair". Playing with a ball usually involves telling the other what you want to do with the ball or how the game should continue. To accompany any action in the play with words may add to the child's linguistic repertoire - as long as these are meaningful interactions for the child and are experienced frequently. The ball is only one example of how toys and games can be used as language development supporting situations throughout the day. Any activity your child focuses on, like making a puzzle or building a tower with blocks, may serve as a language acquisition situation. You can use it as a chance to start a conversation that will be interesting for both of you. In such a way, you can also keep in touch with your child.
…rhymes and songs that help the child to play with language, to listen to the melody of language and the way language works.
Rhymes and songs also help to train facial muscles and the ability to pronounce words correctly. Children love rhymes they can memorise by repeating. They love playing with words. Rhymes are excellent for this purpose; most children profit from it and from listening to songs. Therefore, singing songs and practising rhymes help children playfully become competent speakers. Furthermore, knowing rhymes and songs is integral to each culture and language.
…the so-called dialogic reading.
When you read a book with your child, you may choose an interactive way of reading and retelling the story. It is not only about the child listening to you reading. It's about the joint experience of storytelling. You may explore the story with your child and let the child continue the story at some parts. You may even give some support with details added to the story and ask children questions related to the story. This way, you may become involved in a conversation with your child. Reading the same book repeatedly may foster such dialogues and help the child elaborate each time with more words and ideas on the story.
…reading a book or watching pictures/photographs with your child while describing what you see incorrectly, hoping the child tries to correct you.
For example, you may describe a photo showing a boy playing with a toy kite, telling your child, "Look, the girl is playing with a kite." or "Look, the boy is flying a kite!" Many children would laugh, protest, say that you made a mistake, and try to correct you using their language skills. Even if not, you can continue the conversation by asking if the child thinks what you said was correct and continue from there by asking what the child sees in the photograph.
You can think of many similar ways to play with language that interest children and support language development.
