Play and Talk – free introduction

Play is multidimensional in the way it contributes to oral language. Oral language is one mode of meaning making alongside visual, auditory, gestural, and spatial forms of communication.

During games and fun activities children are naturally more motivated and will learn more language. These are ideal times to have a chat with children, have a conversation, ask questions, and make comments. Spoken language is important in its own right and especially in school as it is central to teaching and learning.

Spoken language in all its many forms is as highly structured and organised as written language. Oral and written language are both important, but each provides different ways of knowing. Oral language functions allow students to think and access knowledge in different ways. There are many ways spoken language is used to express meaning, for example to problem solve, hypothesise, imagine, and inform. Oral language is closely related to thinking and understanding, it is multidimensional in the way it contributes to early reading.

The 1, 2, 3 of Play and Talk provide examples of language that can be modelled to children, ways to encourage communication as well as the types of questions that can be used to develop a wide variety of expressive language and thinking skills. The activity cards include two sections of language adults can use with children specific to the activity and illustrative of these important language support strategies.

Play and Talk activities are designed to develop the oral language and communication skills of young children (birth to first year of school).  Membership gives you access to more of the theory plus more activity cards.