Language Development in Preschool Children
Language Development In Preschool Children
Jamie Lisowski
ECE 315
Professor Radkowski
January 30, 2012
Language development and literacy is at the forefront of early childhood education. Parents are being encouraged to read more to their children now more than ever. Early experiences with language are the foundation for success in later school years. This is why it is important to infuse language in every way in the classroom. The infant, toddler, and preschool years are viewed as the point where "children take their first critical steps toward learning to read and write" (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 1998, p. 32) The following is a look into language development of three and four year old children and strategies to reinforce language concepts in the classroom.
Many preschools today focus on play through learning. Many theories support the concept that children learn best through play and lessons should revolve around this philosophy. With this in mind, the classroom environment must be supportive to language acquisition. For three and four year olds, speech is a direct reflection of what they (children) are thinking (Otto, 2010, p. 165). These children are spontaneous and this is reflected in their speech. They say what they are thinking as it goes through their head (Otto, 2010). Receptive and productive vocabulary correlate with specific aspects of children’s individual literacy environment (Otto, 2010, p. 167) which include frequency of reading with child, child’s age when reading began, number of picture books in the home, frequency with which child asks to be read to, frequency of child’s trips to the library, and active exploration.
In the classroom this age group explores phonemic knowledge as they begin to recognize words with similar sounds, explore sound manipulation through sound play, and begin to associate initial letters with specific sounds (Otto, 2010, p. 173).
The use of semantic knowledge can be
Jamie Lisowski
ECE 315
Professor Radkowski
January 30, 2012
Language development and literacy is at the forefront of early childhood education. Parents are being encouraged to read more to their children now more than ever. Early experiences with language are the foundation for success in later school years. This is why it is important to infuse language in every way in the classroom. The infant, toddler, and preschool years are viewed as the point where "children take their first critical steps toward learning to read and write" (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 1998, p. 32) The following is a look into language development of three and four year old children and strategies to reinforce language concepts in the classroom.
Many preschools today focus on play through learning. Many theories support the concept that children learn best through play and lessons should revolve around this philosophy. With this in mind, the classroom environment must be supportive to language acquisition. For three and four year olds, speech is a direct reflection of what they (children) are thinking (Otto, 2010, p. 165). These children are spontaneous and this is reflected in their speech. They say what they are thinking as it goes through their head (Otto, 2010). Receptive and productive vocabulary correlate with specific aspects of children’s individual literacy environment (Otto, 2010, p. 167) which include frequency of reading with child, child’s age when reading began, number of picture books in the home, frequency with which child asks to be read to, frequency of child’s trips to the library, and active exploration.
In the classroom this age group explores phonemic knowledge as they begin to recognize words with similar sounds, explore sound manipulation through sound play, and begin to associate initial letters with specific sounds (Otto, 2010, p. 173).
The use of semantic knowledge can be
References: Decker, C., Decker, J.R., Freeman, N., and Knopf, H. (2009). Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs Otto, B. (2010). Language Development in Early Childhood. (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. van Kleeck, A., & Schuele, C. (2010). Historical Perspectives on Literacy in Early Childhood. American Journal of Speech - Language Pathology (Online), 19(4), 341- 355A. Retrieved January 15, 2012, from ProQuest: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2273015881&Fmt=3&clientId=74379&RQT=309&VName=PQD Wasik, B.. (2010) Retrieved January 15, 2012, from ProQuest: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2035014801&Fmt=3&clientId=74379&RQT=309&VName=PQD