Conversing with children

I found this wonderful article on PBS and wanted to share if you want to read the entire article you ca go to the following link,is call Let's Talk About It: Fostering the Development of Language Skills and Emergent Literacy.

http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/providers/talk.html

Here is a little preview:
Conversing with Children

The most vital thing to stress about language development is the value of conducting a true conversation with children. This means listening with sincere interest, responding in a way that will enhance and continue conversation, and allowing children time to formulate their ideas and answers. Wainting for replies is one of the most important things we can do to encourage language growth. slow down and take the time to listen to what children have to say.

Look for opportunities to give children something real to talk about. Children's talk should be based on real, lived thoruhg experiences. For example, asking children to discuss ways they could get water over to the sand box extends their problem solving abilities while keeping the subject both real and relevant to them. They can make it more real by trying out their idea to see if they actually work.

Encourage conversation between children by urging them to ask questions of each other and engage in interesting conversations among themselves. It's through these encounters that children learn that talks is important and satisfying. Encourage conversation and dialogue between teachers and children. The skills involved in discussion and conversation are vital so be sure to give children opportunities to pratice these skills as well. Ask open ended questions that require more than a yes or no answer, questions to which you don't already know the answer.