Buzzing with BabiesCommunication, Language and Literacy Key

Developmental IndicatorsKDIs

Objectives

Participants will learn:

About building relationships with infants and toddlers through exploring language and print.

Discuss the development of language in infants and toddlers

Identify supportive strategies Discuss the benefits for signing with infants and

toddlers The importance of reading with infants and

toddlers.2

“I Want to Tell You About My Family”

Share About: People you remember

being close to as a young child.

Experiences you remember having as a young child

Words you remember learning as a young child.

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3 Keys to Language Learning

1)Personal relationships

2)Sensory-motor experiences

3)Vocabulary-rich environments (object, action and idea words)

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Language growth thrives when communication is

Personal Built on trust Face-to-face Mutual (give-and-take,

joint) Responsive (attuned) Want-nothing, enjoyable Daily, ongoing

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Language growth thrives on experience that

• Engages the senses• Involves movement,

action, thought• Sustains choice,

exploration, play• Is daily, ongoing,

varied

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Language growth thrives in vocabulary-rich settings where

Object, action and idea words are used fluently

There are give-and-take conversations

Children are exposed to many words

Children hear new words many times

Sign language is used

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•Object Words: dog, block, spoon•Action Words: crawl, shake, squeeze•Idea Words: bedtime, surprise, under

Communication, Language and Literacy KDIs

16. Listening and Responding– Children listen and respond.

17. Nonverbal Communication– Children communicate nonverbally.

18. Two-way communication– Children participate in two-way communication.

19. Speaking– Children speak.

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With a Partner:Can You Guess?

1. Shish 2. Private seat3. Bite-m seeds4. Owwy pop5. Gapes6. Hammerdoo7. Pider or bider8. Pooftast 9. Sank u10. Unca11. Ogert or gogur12. Ug me13. Peaz14. Suez15. Brefist or bess es16. Babysoup17. Tootie

18. Gah gee19. Pone 20. Bipoo21. Burdee22. Pop a bull23. Lilloom24. Lelow25. Ho ho26. Basgeti or pasgeti27. olybins28. Brestmins29. Waasagna30. Inveskinate31. Maget32. Wawa33. Plopies

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Answers

1. Shish (fish)2. Private seat (privacy)3. Bite-m seeds (vitamins)4. Owwy pop (lollipop)5. Gapes (grapes)6. Hammerdoo (hambuger)7. Pider or bider (spider)8. Pooftast (toothpaste)9. Sank u (thank you)10. Unca (uncle)11. Ogert or gogur (yogart)12. Ug me (hug me)13. Peaz (please)14. Suez (shoes)15. Brefist or bess es (breakfast)16. Babysoup (bathing suit) 17. Tootie (cookie)

18. Gah gee (doggie)19. Pone (phone)20. Bipoo (grandpa)21. Burdee (birdie)22. Pop a bull (popsicle)23. Lilloom (living room)24. Lelow (yellow)25. Ho ho (Santa Claus)26. Basgeti or pasgeti (spagetti)27. olybins (ambulance) 28. Brestmins (breath mints)29. Waasagna (lasagna)30. Inveskinate (investigate)31. Maget (magnet)32. Wawa (water)33. Plopies (popcorn)

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Important Factors of Language Development

• During the first 6 years, the brain pathways are established and prime for first and second language learning

• The kind of language children hear significantly influences the extent to which children learn language

• Bruner “Language is most rapidly acquired when it is “learned” in playful activity”

• Play and language development are inextricably linked

• Play is a great vehicle for extending language use

• Listening is a vital underpinning to language and intellectual development

• Family culture is a strong influence of language acquisition

• Language is developed, not taught!11

Stages of Language Acquisition

Stage 1: Crying and Cooing (around 6-8 wks)

Stage 2: Babbling (around 6-12 mths)

Stage 3: First Words (around 1 yr)Stage 4: First Sentences (around

second part of first year)

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First Words are Influenced by 5 Factors

1. Environment– (e.g., city, country)

2. Word Type– (e.g., nouns)

3. Sounds of Words

• Preference of front sounds (p, b, t, d, w) vs. back sounds (k, l, g, s, r, ch, sh) vs. nasal sounds (m, n)

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First Words are Influenced by 5 Factors

4. Usefulness– (e.g. socks, milk, eat)

5. Style—label things in environment vs. risk taker who says a lot, actions and interactions

a. Short, clearly articulated, one-word utterances in early stage of language

b. Memorize and produce relatively large chunks of speech

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What Do We Foster Language in ITs?

With your table group, make a list of strategies that caregivers and parents can do with infants and toddlers to guide and assist in language development.

Children need someone to converse in a give-and-take manner

Talking and singing

Copy sounds, imitate actions

Follow their leads

Repeat babbles or beginning words and give meaning (dada—”Dada gave you a hug.”)

Label emotions, actions; Describe what they are doing

Strategies for Supporting Language Development in ITs

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Experiencing Signing1. Choose a partner2. No talking3. Signing only4. Tell your partner what your favorite animal is. 5. Tell your partner what you will do right after this

session.6. Make up a phrase of signs to communicate

anything.

What was the result? Were you able to understand?What resources did you use to communicate?

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How do adults communicate?• Talking• Reading and writing• Tone of voice• Volume and speed of speech• Gesture• Body language• Eye contact• Facial expression• By what isn’t said – “reading between the lines”

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Early Communication

• Many ways in which adults communicate are not available to infants.

• It takes some time before infants learn to talk, but they need to be able to communicate before then.

• We need a way of understanding them.

• Signing is a good supportive way infants and toddlers can communicate with parents and caregivers.

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Benefits of Signing with Infants and Toddlers

Enables children to communicate even before they can speak

Reduces frustration

Reduces tantrums and misbehavior

Improves speaking skills

Gives babies an infrastructure of language

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Benefits of Signing with Infants and Toddlers

When toddlers are able to talk, the words mean more

Increases parent-child bond; parents learn from babies

Increase positive interactions

Hearing preschoolers who signed had significantly larger vocabularies, more self confident and deeper love for books

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Facts to keep in Mind

It is never too early or late to start signing with babies

Receptive skills develop well before expressive

Infants are attracted by motion

They have visual and motor coordination (manual dexterity) before they develop language skills

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Facts to keep in Mind

Typically infants will start signing at 7-8 mths

Infants taught signing acquired 75 signs by 9 mths—by 15 mths children acquire 10 words

Keep parents, and all caregivers apart of the process so all are consistent

Incorporate signs into your environment

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Getting Started….1. Always say the word when you are signing.

2. Make signs just below the sight line or child’s field of view.

3. Begin with a few simple signs, e.g., “Eat, Milk, More, All done Up, Down.”

4. When showing a child the sign, exaggerate both in the sign and the verbal word. Repeat several times.

5. At about 6 months old, it is suggested to use gentle physical guidance to assist the infant to make the signs themselves.

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Practice Signing• With a partner, using the sign cards, come up with a

scenario or example of a time when children want to communicate (e.g., daily routine, change diaper, wanting more, etc.).

• One role plays the adult and one the child.

• Practice using the signs to communicate to each other.

• Switch roles, come up with another scenario, practice.

How did you do? What was difficult? What came easy?

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Beloved Books

1) With a partner, talk together about books you remember from your childhood.

2) Why did you remember these specific books?

3) What about these books made them memorable?

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Summary

Story contentIllustration quality (pictures)Repetition of phrasesPersonal background of

story:– Who read it to you– When – Where– How

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Communication, Language and Literacy KDIs

20. Exploring print– Children explore picture books and magazines.

21. Enjoying language– Children enjoy stories, rhymes, and songs.

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Benefits of Listening to Stories and Reading Aloud

It is pleasurable Very young children first begin to read by

interpreting the pictures Enables children to have fun with words and

learn more about language Focuses on oral language Eventually leads to an understanding of written

language Reading aloud is one of the most important ways

adults can foster children’s emerging literacy

“Reading aloud to children improves their reading, writing, speaking, listening—and,

best of all, their attitudes about reading.” (Jim Trelease, 2001)

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Storytelling

Storytelling promotes listening skills!Mary Jalongo (2008)

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Making up Stories

1. With a partner, choose a picture from the table that you think would interest the infants and toddlers that you know.

2. Discuss the information that you could share with the children about the picture.

3. Make up a story about the picture that includes a child.

4. Share your stories.

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cCConversations as Stories

Share what you see children doing as a story. Share stories about events of the day. Ask toddlers to share stories with you. Use a conversation as a story springboard. Use children’s names in the stories you tell. Talk with toddlers about the emotions that

you see depicted in a story.

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Preparation

1. Think of an interesting event.

2. Gather materials.

3. Set up the environment.

4. Practice the story you will tell.

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Support for Storytelling

Always optional Share throughout the day Consider children’s

preferences Keep the group small Follow the child’s lead Use props, occasionally Share your delight Repeat favorite stories

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Looking At Your Own Books

1. What are the strengths of your children’s book collection?

2. How can you use the books you do have as effectively as possible?

3. What kinds of books would you like to add to your collection?

4. Where can we find the books we want to add?

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Implementation Plans

Turn to the last page in your handout. Reflect back on this topic and jot down some ideas you want to remember.

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