Talking Top Tops! | #4

Date: 22nd Nov 2021 @ 4:48pm

Hello! 

I would like to share with you the 4th installment of our ‘Talking Top Tips!’ series. 

So far we have shared the importance of getting your child’s attention before you speak to them and some ways you can help to develop and broaden your child’s vocabulary. Last week’s Top Tip was all about limiting the number of questions we ask of our young learners. 

Todays ‘Top Tip’ is all about mirroring. 

English is a notoriously difficult language. Children will often make mistakes in their talk! Sometimes it is a mispronunciation of a sound (E.G lellow over yellow), other times part of a word is missing (E.G look, he run over look, he’s running) or sometimes the choice of word is wrong entirely (EG there’s snow on the ground over there’s frost on the ground). These mistakes are developmentally appropriate and should be expected as children explore and play with language! 

Though it is normal for children to make some mistakes in their talk, we still have a responsibility to correct them. Stopping a child to explain how to say a word and asking them to repeat it back to you might help them to remember how to use the word next time, but it will also stop your conversation in its tracks! Mirroring is a technique that allows the flow of conversation to continue uninterrupted whilst also showing the child the correct way to use the word. See the example below!

Child: Mummy, I fall at school.

Mummy: Oh no! You fell! You fell at school?

Here the child will hear the correct word to use in this context without interrupting their train of thought. Have a go at using this technique this week! 

And as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do come and have a chat. 

Miss Wilkinson.