Fostering Language Development
Linda Bender
ECE315: Language Development in Young Children (BDG1616A)
Instructor: Catherine Norwood
April 25, 2016

Art Center

Art centers is set up so that children can easily access the materials that are located on shelves that are at eye level, the activity will be a teacher directed activity. “Art making is often a social activity for young children where language is developed.” (Johnson, 2006) Children are given many different chances to communicate socially with their peers and teacher by talking about their projects using descriptive words. Therefore, providing many open ended questions and materials that the children can use their imagination to create different projects. We as teachers can plan activities that will further foster the development of language and creative activities in art based on their observations. Teachers will encourage oral language between children, asking many open-ended questions, and to impose the importance of safety with materials and taking turns. They will also have the experience of joy that comes from creating unique products (West, 2006).

Materials non-toxic Glue brushes
Scissors Rulers
Stencils Tape
Hole Punchers
Stapler Paper
Play Dough Rolling Pins
Cookie Cutters Markers
Pencils Crayons non-toxic Paints
Smocks Easels
Drying Rack First, I would read a book during circle time about colors and what happens when you mix them, the activity will be color mixing. I think a good book that depicts this is” Mouse Paint “by Ellen Stoll Wash. The book is about three little white mice that discover jars of red, blue, and yellow paint. It tells the story of what happens when these mice dip into one color and then another. The activity would include having the children paint their hands different colors, placing them on a white piece of paper (like a hand print or turkey). Then the children can rub their hands together, mixing the colors to see what color they make. Then they will place the new color between the colors on the first paper. This will be a great way for children to use many different learning styles to make this idea of color mixing tangible. To assess the effectiveness of this area on language development would be through observations. The teacher (s) could write down their own notes about what language was being used and then discuss it with the other teachers to see if any changes needed to be made.

Math Center

Math area is set up by providing lots of manipulative items that children use to build mathematical skills. Things like peg boards, sorting objects, puzzles, scales, Legos, and pattern making cards are some things that will help children develop language skills. Skills that children can build on being one-to-one correspondence, number sense and counting, classifying, shapes, mathematical operations, time, measurements, and patterns. Math center is a great place to hang the daily schedule because it gives children the chance to build on the concept of time. Math center supports language acquisition by giving children the words to use when it pertains to math. Unlike other areas, this center has a language all of its own “…with the emphasis on processes of problem solving, representation, communication, reasoning, and making connections in mathematics.” (Charlesworth, 2004 pg. 148) Teachers give children the guidance and vocabulary needed to describe and explain what they are learning. For a math activity I would use Shape Bingo. Instead of just using the same of the shape I would use descriptive language to describe the shape. For instance, by saying, “This shape has three sides, it starts with the letter ‘T’.” To assess the area of language development again I would use teacher observations.

Dramatic Play Center

Dramatic play area is the best place for fostering language development. “Most children enjoy playing make-believe or fantasy games, and they benefit in two important ways. First, this type of play helps develops the child’s imagination by giving the opportunity to think about the past and integrate it with the present and future, thus helping to increase memory capacity. Second, games provide the opportunity for children to use language that is not bounded by the immediate environment or the present—they begin to decontextualize language (i.e., begin to use it for abstract representation). (Piper.2012 Ch. 9.1) This area can be set up in many ways. For instance, last week at my center we had the children to dress up like doctors and patients. The Children were pretending to help whomever was sick get the treatment they need. Our children were able to remember the doctors’ visits that they have had in the past and ask questions. After that we noticed the children using pretend play to talk about doctors and all sorts of medical things like shots. This gave the children the chance to act out anything that was on their minds. The play went from getting bandages to shots for those children getting ready for kindergarten. The role of the teacher here is minimal. I think it is important for teachers to step back and let the natural course of their play to happen without the interference of an adult. Dramatic play area encourages language acquisition by allowing the children to express themselves in a stress-free setting.

In conclusion “The important take-away for preschool teachers is that learning should be embedded in activities that are reflective of children's prior experience of learning and that are embedded in the process of socialization. Such activities need to be appropriate to children's stage of development and natural rather than instructional.” (Piper 2012 Ch9.1)

References

Retrieved Piper, T. (2012). Making meaning, making sense: Children’s early language learning. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.

Charlesworth, Rosalind, PH.D. (2004) Experiences in Math for Young Children, 5th Edition.Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers

Johnson, Margaret (2006) Art Talk: Developing Visual and Verbal Literacy. www.communityplaythings.com. February 17, 2013 fromhttps://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/artwithchildren/arttalk.html