We know that communication is very important for all aspects of our program. We also know that for this age group, verbal communication varies from child to child. Our job, as Early Learning Teachers, is to listen to more than just the words children use. We often ask questions to clarify what a child has said and to learn what certain words they use mean for them at home. We also watch for non-verbal interactions as we know that this often is the way preschool aged children communicate when a word is not available to them.
When we started in September, we welcomed in some children who were just beginning to learn English. For these children, we knew that communication would be a bit harder. They did not always communicate verbally but most often with hand gestures and shaking or nodding their heads. There were times of frustration and misunderstanding between the children; especially when they could not communicate with each other. At 3 and 4 years old, the children are learning how to share, but the difficulty with communicating makes it more challenging.
Very quickly, we saw that all the children were understanding us, even if they did not fully understand the words we were using. They understood our signals, songs, and the gestures we used for our daily routines and activities. Here and there we saw new English words being understood and even spoken which is so exciting for us.
Now, we see children playing together and just “working it out” if they cannot verbally speak with each other. There is an understanding that not everyone speaks English and that we need other forms of communication. This is a huge learning curve for children of this age and a big part of social-emotional development.
A story I would like to share is about two of our children, and we’ll only use their initials L and A. L started with us in October, and it was her first time learning English. A, who has quickly picked up many English words since September, noticed that L spoke the same language as her.
A began to speak with L and got her engaged in our activities and play. We wondered if this was because A knew how L must feel about coming into a situation like this. I can only imagine the conversations the two of them had during those first few days while they were quickly becoming friends. I have to say that A has been a huge help to L and her adjustment to our program. I think A knows it as well based on the huge smile on her face when we thank her for helping.
It has been amazing for us to see the growth in all of the children over the past couple of months. We hear and see the communication through their play, and we witness the appreciation that not everyone speaks the same way.