During preschool children begin to enjoy listening to longer stories and start to remember much of what happens. They pay attention to more than one thing at a time, use a wider range of vocabulary and understand a question or instruction that has two parts. They  also start to understand ‘why’ questions. 

During Terms 1 and 2 we will build on these skills and support the children to:

• Understand how to listen carefully and why listening is important.

• Learn new vocabulary.

• Engage in story times.

• Listen carefully to rhymes and songs, paying attention to how they sound.

• Engage in non-fiction books. 

The development of children’s spoken Ianguage underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and- forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development.

 The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a Ianguage-rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children’s Ianguage effectively.

Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive.

Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures. 

We will introduce 'carpet time' when children are encouraged to sit on the carpet and listen- to either a story or to teacher directed input. This will be in short bursts to begin with and build up over time. 

Children will benefit  from quality literature, using stories with a richness which will allow children to experience and develop a range of vocabulary and language structures.

In the first term children will learn our Barn Owls Class rules. By discussing these rules each morning children will be learning to understand how to listen carefully and why listening is important. Throughout term 1 and term 2 we will reinforce our class rules as well as classroom expectations. Having high expectations for all children is important, it allows them to reach their full potential. Being consistent with these sets clear boundaries for children, which helps them feel settled and safe.

During preschool children learn to sing a large repertoire of songs, many rhymes, begin to be able to talk about familiar books and be able to tell a long story. They develop their communication (but may continue to have problems with irregular tenses and plurals) and start to use longer sentences of four to six words. They develop to skill to be able to express a point of view and to debate when they disagree with an adult or a friend, using words as well as actions.  They learn to start a conversation with an adult or a friend and continue it for many turns as well as use talk to organise themselves and their play. 

During Terms 1 and 2 we will build on these skills and support the children to:

• Use new vocabulary through the day.

• Articulate their ideas and thoughts in well-formed sentences.

• Connect one idea or action to another using a range of connectives.

The number and quality of conversations children have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children are doing or interested in and echoing back with new vocabulary added, practitioners  and other adults will build children's language effectively.

Children will listen to stories that provide them with rich vocabulary to role-play familiar events and scenarios. They will experience adults 'modelling' narratives through child initiated play and specifically talk for writing and learning. 

Children will be introduced to new vocabulary, linked to our topic, and children will be encouraged to use new vocabulary and to understand the meaning. 

We will also use songs and poems about ourselves, our bodies and our feelings.