Oral Language is an essential skill

This was an Oral Language session with Room 3 and tamariki from Room 7 because Whaea Amanda was on a course.  We began by choosing a toy and describing three of its features like mammal, bird or insect... size, colour, pattern, some children even invented names and a little story about their toy...

 We then played one of our favourite songs 'Cake by the Ocean' and danced, when the music stopped we had to follow directions and balance our friend on our wrist, shoulder, elbow, ankle, spine and nostrils -I was purposefully using vocabulary not often used (instead of arm, legs, head) and other positional language to foster their oral language comprehension/development.  

Recently Whaea Amanda and I attended an Oral Language Workshop and it was quite shocking to hear how children's language skills are on the decline due to;

Family stress

Working parents

Violence

Screens

Forward facing pushchairs

Age segregated day care

Dummies

Poverty

Strongest language not being used

Did you also know that children who hear less talking, are slow readers and stay behind! so please TALK to/with your child as much as you can, get them to describe things and make up stories with their imaginations and read with them, its so important :)