Understanding language is one of the key building blocks of a child developing their own language skills. There are many skills that are fundamental for a child to be able to understand and these include:
- Having good hearing
- Having good attention and listening skills
- Be able to process what is being said – some children find it difficult to ‘take in’ what is being said
- Having experience of the world or exposure to a range of vocabulary
- Having a good memory for what has been said
If you want to check if your child is understanding language appropriately for their age please use the progress checker on the link below:
Top Tips for supporting younger children with understanding language
- Use short, simple sentences.
- Support your words with gestures, signing, actions and visual prompts wherever possible.
- Give thinking time (up to 5-10 seconds). Check that the first sentence has been understood before saying anything more.
- Give choices instead of asking open-ended questions e.g. did you play with water or sand?
- Use a simple visual timetable to show what is happening.
- Use ‘First’ and ‘Then’ or ‘Now’ and ‘Next’ to help transition between activities.
- Use positive instructions to praise the behaviour you want to see (e.g. instead of ‘Don’t run’, say ‘Please walk’).
Top Tips for supporting older children with understanding language
- Give instructions in the order you want the child to follow them.
- Encourage a whole class approach for children to say if they have not understood or need help e.g. traffic light system.
- Encourage the child to repeat the instructions (out loud, under their breath or in their head) or to explain the task to another child.
- Pre-teach the key vocabulary needed before starting new topics/subjects. You can use word webs or mind maps to support this.
- Share topic lists between schools and parents so they can reinforce learning at home. Create ‘word bank’ books for each topic/subject.
