LANGUAGE MATTERS

Language is the foundation of thinking, literacy and numeracy skills. It is also foundational for social and emotional well-being. Children are born ready to learn language. In fact, they begin to learn language in the last trimester of pregnancy, before birth. When babies interact with caring adults from an early age, it helps them build future language skills.  
Even before a child can speak, they store words in their brain. By 12 months of age, children understand words, particularly familiar words, such as their name, other people’s names and “bye-bye.” Having conversations with young children introduces them to new words and ideas they can use to express themselves. 
A child’s ability to pay attention to objects and events together with another person is called “joint attention.” This skill is usually well established at about 18 months of age. Pointing, touching and describing objects and events are ways to help a child develop their joint attention skills. When an adult shows a child how to point and communicate, they will mimic the action and begin to communicate by pointing and then looking at the adult for a response. This is how children communicate before they can speak. Talking, listening, joint attention and conversations are essential to help a child learn to read, write and understand numbers. 
Before the age of 24 months, a child is better at understanding language than speaking it. As they grow to become a toddler, their spoken language skills catch up to their comprehension skills. Their ability to label objects will accelerate as their vocabulary increases. A child that hears two languages from birth will bounce back and forth between them. Listening to the distinctive sounds of both languages, they will be able to process even more information. In time, as they absorb information from their immediate environment and listen to who is speaking, they will know which language to use.
All of the activities in the Toolbox can be carried out in a language chosen by parents/caregivers. Learning a second or third language is easier in the early years than it is later in life because a baby’s brain is shaped by the languages they hear. Simple picture books, songs, endearments and phrases in their Indigenous language provide an opportunity for children to become familiar with the sounds and rhythm of their language, even if adults are not fluent. 
As a child strengthens their language skills, they also form their social skills. They come to understand that language and communication are useful ways to share and learn new ideas. Language allows them to enter play situations, cooperate and solve problems effectively. When a child develops friendships early in life, they are more comfortable moving into group learning situations, such as preschool programs or classrooms.
Literacy skills emerge as language develops. When a parent/caregiver sees signs of emerging literacy skills—understanding and using words, taking an interest in print, noticing and manipulating sounds, pretending to read and write, recognising letters and letter names and creating “stories”—it is time to choose Toolbox cards that support literacy development. Between the age of 24 and 48 months, a child starts to use their drawing skills to represent specific things or concepts. They might even start labelling their drawings as someone or something they know. When a child comes to understand that drawing is a way to communicate or convey ideas, they begin to see the value of print on paper.
Language Matters strategies are examples of language interactions that families can repeat over and over and expand on. The strategies can make language development a part of everyday events. Language is one way to show children warmth, love and positive feelings.  You can use the Language Matters activities with family members to raise awareness about how they use language with infants and young children, so that language becomes intentional, rather than random or accidental.