Learning language through role play


By Bigjigs Toys


When it comes to language and vocabulary, role play plays a huge part. As children run around the playground pretending to be superheroes, doctors and everything in between, they develop core communication skills without even knowing it.


Here are five things that encourage role play and nurture a child's language development.


1. Listening


Children tend to recreate scenes and repeat snippets of conversations they have heard in everyday life, which is fantastic for enhancing their listening and communication skills. Adults can support this by getting stuck in themselves (if invited, of course!) and feeding new vocabulary into the pretend play scenarios.


2. Storytelling


Children often adapt books and stories they have read into their role play plots. It gives them a launch pad to shape new fantasy worlds of their own, and as they narrate these storylines, their grasp on words and sentences will naturally evolve.


3. Socialising


Playing with their peers is a brilliant way to boost a child's social communication skills. As children play together, they will learn all about reading body language, using eye contact, listening to others and taking turns to speak in a conversation. Alongside language development, this will also teach them how to build relationships and work as a team.


4. Experimenting


Pretend play settings are detached from reality, giving youngsters a sense of freedom as making mistakes becomes far less daunting. This can motivate children to experiment with words they have heard in the classroom, or at home, without the fear of pronouncing them incorrectly or not using them in the right context.


5. Planning


Expressing ideas and plans for a play session enables children to learn how to vocalise their thoughts. Beyond acquiring new vocabulary, it also teaches youngsters how to communicate their thoughts with others. This is a fundamental skill which can help children in all areas of their development, from expressing emotions to making friends.


14


For more ideas and inspiration visit ypo.co.uk/littlelearners


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20