Many countries are looking with a renewed focus at the area of pre-birth to 3 years because of a growing recognition of the importance of the earliest months and years. In this ever-changing world there is still a huge importance in giving babies toddlers and young children the skills to be able to communicate. It is estimated that, at birth, a baby ‘s brain contains thousands of millions of brain cells and some of these are already connected and communicating.

Language development is fundamental to all areas of learning. As babies, toddlers and young children develop, being literate helps them to function effectively in everyday life and to contribute to society. The earliest years lay the important foundations of this.

By 3 years of age, there is a 30-million-word gap between children from the wealthiest and poorest families. A recent study shows that the vocabulary gap is evident in toddlers. By 18 months, children in different socio-economic groups display dramatic differences in their vocabularies. (NAEYC).

We need to consider studies like this as there has been many all saying the same thing. What are we doing that isn’t working? Let us look at the way we lay the foundations for language development are they on shaky or solid ground?

 “Language is the most powerful instrument of human progress.” Maria Montessori

In this webinar you will learn:

• To develop an understanding of the root of language development through responsive interactions.

• To identify the strong foundations of language development for babies and toddlers and the importance of these.

• To develop talking skills through practical experiences that recognise language starts with sounds and gestures then word and sentence.

• To Identify that every child is unique and how we can use language development to support the holistic development of the child.

• To highlight the importance of the adult role in supporting thinking and intrinsic motivation for learning