3 Effective Actions to Boost Speaking and Listening Skills in Young Children

1

Teach Listening Skills

• Take turns when talking and avoid interrupting.

• Monitor listening to stay on topic.

• Look at the person speaking to you.

• Recognize non-verbal cues.

• Ask questions and extend the conversation.

2

Engage in Rich Conversations

• Use uncommon academic vocabulary often.

• Speak in complete and complex sentences.

• Provide think time so children can work out their answers and mentally practice before speaking.

• Emphasize phrasing and intonation when speaking and reading aloud.

• Ask open-ended questions such as, what was your favorite part and why?

• Recognize and value word curiosity, and create an environment where learning new words is fun and exciting.

3

Read Aloud Daily

• Make reading part of your daily routine.

• Seek out books and texts that are interesting and complex.

• Discuss the books you read by asking questions, making predictions, summarizing, and thinking about the characters or information.

• Point out sophisticated words, use them in discussions, and try to incorporate them throughout daily activities.