DNE: Lecture 25

• Function of Plays


  • Natural activity of early childhood
  • Facilitate social interactions
  • Facilitate language skills
  • Demonstration of what they are currently thinking about
  • Enrich their life experiences
• Games


  • Can be classified according to their nature
  • Have different levels
  • Development of children's play skills is from simple to complicated
• How to choose appropriate games for children


  • Cognitive ability (pretend skills/ color/numerical concept etc.)
  • Social ability
  • Eye-hand coordination
  • Life experience
• Adjust the difficulties of the games


  1. Deepen or simplify the game by changing the game rules

  2. Increase the difficulties of the game
• Three Ways for Promoting Children's Language Development


  1. Allow your child to lead

  2. Adapt to share the moment

  3. Add language and experience
• Allow your child to lead


  • Try to let the child decide how and when to play
  • The role of the adult is to follow the child's lead, but not to lead or guide the child
  • The role of the adult is to give response in the game, so that the child can have fun and gain the ability to control environment and things through communication
  • This approach may increase the child's willingness to communicate and gain more opportunities to learn a language
• Techniques for allowing child to lead

  1. Observing

  2. Waiting

  3. Listening
• Observing


  • Observe what the child is looking at
  • Observe the child's facial expressions/actions
  • Observe the child's interests
  • Observe the child's motivation or feelings
• Waiting


  • The adult can count from one to ten covertly
  • Only speak when you need to respond to the child
  • Do not interfere in the child's game
• Listening


  • Listen carefully to what the child is saying
  • Keep eye contact with the child while listening
  • Do not make any assumptions about his/her words until the child has finished speaking
  • Do not interrupt the child's speech
• Adapt to share the moment


  • When the child is taking the lead, you should follow the child's interests and wishes
  • At the same time, you should believe what the child is sharing with you
  • You must adjust yourself positively
• Techniques for adapting to share the moment


  1. Face to face play

  2. Imitation

  3. Explanation

  4. Take turns
• Face to face play

  • Let the child know that you are paying attention to him/her
  • You can gain a better understanding about what the child can say and do
• Imitation


  • Let the child know that you are paying attention to his/her expression
  • When you repeat the child's words/sounds, turn-taking in communication will appear
• Explanation


  • Let the child know that you are paying attention to his/her expression
  • Let the child know that you are trying to understand him/her
  • Correct the child's behaviour and let the child know the correct language expression
• Suggested games (e.g. toy cars)

  • First, use a face-to-face approach, call his name, say hello to him or use toys to attract the attention of the child
  • Then, push a toy car toward the child. When he is familiar with the game, you can ask the child to participate and take turns to play
  • Before you start pushing the toy car for another turn, pause and give the child a chance to participate
• Take turns


  1. Let the child know you are expecting their participation

  2. Let the child understand the concept of turn-taking in communication
• Method for taking turns


  1. Prompt the child using facial expressions and actions

  2. Prompt the child using language or questions e.g. "your turn", "what is follow?"

  3. Give plenty of time to wait for a response
• Suggested game: Toy cars

  1. Use a face-to-face approach, call child's name, say hello, use toys to attract attention

  2. Push a toy car toward the child, when familiar ask child to participate and take turns

  3. Pause before your turn to give child time and opportunity to participate

  4. Child can participate in different ways e.g. hit toy car, clap, watch and smile

  5. If child does not respond, try a few more times then change toys
• As the child gets older, language becomes more and more important. They need to use different words to represent different things in order to communicate with different people.
• Use actions and expressions


  1. Enhance the child's understanding and interest

  2. Exchange information, emotions and attitudes with the child
• Method for using actions and expressions


  1. Be consistent and systematic

  2. Face to face with the child

  3. Speak and use gestures at the same time e.g. pointing
• Emphasize important words

  1. Increase the child's interest in learning words

  2. Accumulate what the child has already known
• Method for emphasizing important words

  1. Pause before the important word

  2. Extend the pronunciation of the important words

  3. Shift tone (higher or louder) when speaking important words

  4. Add gesture to assist if necessary
• More description

  1. Enhance the child's memory and deepen impressions

  2. Assist the child to understand and master using the words
• Method for more description

  1. Describe what the child is experiencing

  2. Describe the child's actions simultaneously

  3. Extend the child's utterances to increase vocabulary
• Self talk

  Talk out loud about what you are doing, seeing, hearing, or feeling
• Parallel talk

  Talk out loud about what your child is doing, seeing, hearing or feeling. You are not asking questions but modelling language.
• Self talk example: At the supermarket


  • I need to get bread, butter and milk. I will get the bread first because it is close by, then the butter that is on the fridge. Oh, the milk is put just next to the butter! It is so easy to get them! I am so happy!
• Self talk example: Making a chocolate cake


  • Mommy is baking a cake! I am putting the eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate chips in the flour. I am stirring. I am going to put them in the oven
• Parallel talk example: During bath time


  • You are crying. You don't like taking a bath. But here is your little baby fog. He loves the bath. You are helping him practice diving in the water!
• Parallel talk example: Playing with blocks


  • Wow! You just built a castle! Oh you have the red block and the yellow block! You do not want the blue block! Oh let's see how many blocks you have built, one, two, three blocks!
• Why use self talk and parallel talk


  • Children learn language from hearing it
  • Children start this language learning process from birth
  • Children learn language from the people they spend their time with
• When to use self talk and parallel talk


  • When the goal is for the child to hear as much meaningful language as possible with no expectation of response
  • When sharing a game with the child
• How often to use self talk and parallel talk

  • On and off throughout the day with the child
  • Make sure the child has time to explore without narration
  • Provide chances for the child to talk back
• Language expansion


  Rephrase the child's utterances to be more grammatically correct, without adding new information
• Language extension


  Rephrase the child's utterances to be more grammatically correct and add new information
• Why use language expansion and extension

  Helping children improve vocabulary, grammar, speech and expressive language skills