Language, Learning and the Home

  • 10 January 2018
  • Posted by: CDC
  • Category: Parent Tips,
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Child Washing Spoon

Children learn from their surroundings by seeing, hearing and trying new things, so it is important that the environment around them is as invigorating and as learning-friendly as possible. Many everyday situations can be turned into language-rich learning experiences that can also facilitate the development of the bond between the child and the caregiver. Below are some ideas that you could try at home!

 

  1. Washing and cleaning:

Washing clothes:

  • Talk about the clothes, e.g. long sleeved vs short sleeved, dirty vs. clean and the seasons you would wear them (i.e. summer/winter)
  • Use different action words as you load your machine
  • ‘Put the clothes in’, ‘scoop the powder’, ‘pour the softener’, ‘press the button’, ‘close the door’ etc.
  • Once the clothes are washed, have your child assist with hanging the clothes.
  • Practise following instructions as you hang the clothes e.g. “pick up the socks” (one step) or “first give me the shirt, next give me the pants” (two step).
  • Talk about different concepts such as quantity, size or colour.
  • Practise turn-taking e.g. ‘Mummy/Daddy’s turn’, _______’s turn.

 

  1. Cooking

Make a pizza together:

  • Talk about the different ingredients and equipment used to make a pizza (e.g. ham, cheese, tomato sauce, pizza dough).
  • Go through the steps and what will happen first, next and last.
  • Have your child help place the different items on to the pizza (e.g. ‘first put the sauce on, next put the cheese on’) then place it in the oven.
  • Once the pizza is cooked, cut it into a specific number of pieces, counting aloud as you do so help practise quantities.

 

  1. Arts and Crafts/Messy Play
  • Work together to make different play materials such as play dough.
  • Prepare the items (e.g. flour, water，food colouring) as well as the finished product for your child to see.
  • Talk about the process and name the ingredients together.
  • Use different verbs when speaking about what to do.
    • E.g. ‘pull the dough’, squeeze, roll, press,

These are just a few examples of activities you could do with your children at home and the language opportunities within each. Language happens all day long and all everyday activities (e.g. brushing teeth) can be used to practise and encourage your child’s speech and language. So, be creative and have fun!