Parents sometimes ask us why we set Talk Time homework occasionally.
It’s important to help your child with speaking and listening because:
- Your child’s ability to speak and listen well will be a good foundation for their future learning
- If they are good speakers and listeners they will do better at reading and writing
- If they can communicate well with others, it will help them to make friends more easily
- They will become more independent and be able to learn about the world
- Your child will learn to express their feelings and not become frustrated so easily
At school younger children will learn to:
- Think about what they say and choose the right words
- Speak fluently and confidently
- Listen to instructions from the teacher
- Listen to their classmates before speaking and take turns
As they get older they will:
- Join in group discussions and make useful points
- Present to an audience, expressing their opinions clearly
- Take part in decision-making and debate
- Learn how language varies in different situations
How can you help?
Put listening to your child first:
- Show your child how to be a good listener by listening to them and others
- Be patient: don’t interrupt or finish their sentences for them
- Give your child your attention: don’t check your mobile phone at the same time as they are talking to you, for example
- Show you’re listening: ask questions about what they say, ask their opinions
- Listen to your child reading aloud regularly
Be a clear speaker:
- Speak confidently, using the right words and set an example by talking in full sentences
- If English is not your first language, the most important thing is that you speak your own language confidently and well
- Use clear, simple directions for tasks and behaviours
- When your child follows direction, show you notice: praise them for listening to you
Get involved every day:
- Discuss their day with them when you see them after school
- Try to have a family meal together as often as possible
- Encourage your child to talk about their views and interests with others
- Ask them about their homework and get involved with it
- Switch off television and laptops well before bedtime: chat or read a bedtime story together instead
Have fun speaking and listening together:
- Play family games together, like I Spy, Charades, Chinese Whispers and Articulate
- Nursery rhymes, songs, jokes and puppets are an important way of helping younger children learn language
- Re-tell familiar stories and have fun making up your own
- With older children, read books and poetry aloud together
- Discuss and debate issues in the news
…and look at these websites for a few more ideas: