Children learn very early in life that language helps them communicate their needs and interests to other people around them.

How can parents and teachers facilitate conversations?

Firstly, when parents or teachers notice that children are engaged in a deep conversation, they should consider whether it is worth to interrupt the children in order to move to a different activity. It is more respectful to give children notice and time to bring the conversation to a closure.

Secondly, parents and teachers need to provide opportunities for children to engage in different types of groupings.

Children need to learn to share ideas, to listen, and to voice disagreements in different situations. They also need to learn to take turns in one to one conversations as well as in large groups where the waiting time could be longer.

Children could be grouped by same or mixed age, gender, ability, or interest. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type and children could contribute differently to each type.

Parents and teachers need to expose children to situations where different types of groupings are taking place. They need to note of what is working and to draw strategies to strengthen the groupings that are not functioning well. For example, groupings based on gender are also based on interests. Teachers and parents need to plan experiences where girls and boys are engaged in non-stereotypical activities with children of same or mixed gender.

As children grow up in a global world, they will encounter all sorts of groupings and need to engage in the different scenarios successfully. The early years help set the path to success.

For further reading, refer to:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2015). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (6th ed.). Victoria, Australia: Cengage Learning.

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