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A Two Way Street
Speaking and listening, or more fundamentally the turn-taking notion of statement and response, is perhaps the most important principle of human conversation, and naturally an area that early stage teachers and caregivers are going to want to focus on and encourage. As children learn to identify sounds, and later shape them to communicate with the world around them, so too will they develop feelings towards things, express opinions on them and ultimately hone their autonomous point of view. This blog looks at the progression of your students’ acquisition of basic communication skills through a range of interactive speaking and listening classroom items.
A Solid Start: Teaching Tubs
Before they can begin to grasp more complex linguistic and conversational methods, children must first develop an understanding of phonic sounds, which is where our Rhyming Sounds Teaching Tubs prove to be an invaluable tool. Sold as a set of ten, each teaching tub contains within it a range of small toys and play items grouped by shared phonemes; i.e. “Bee, Tree, Three”. Designed to offer children a visual reference point to help anchor lessons in their long term memory, the Teaching Tubs set helps to expand upon vocabulary in a fun and rhythmic way, utilising rhyme as a means of engaging the children.
The Next Step: Talking Tubes
As your children progress through the early stages of their educational career, you’ll need new and innovative classroom supplies that continue to engage and entertain them. Our vibrant and hard-wearing talking tubes are a fantastic means of encouraging linguistic development, not only inspiring conversation amongst larger shared groups, but also advocating teamwork and cooperation. With 8 handsets altogether connected by bright tubes manufactured from durable plastic, they encourage children to move away from the typical “1 on 1” conversational structure in a fun and cooperative manner. They’re a flexible (pardon the pun) nursery play item that can be used both indoors and out, making them the ideal solution for those prolonged wet break times!
Rounding Off: Wild Animal Tales
Speaking and language isn’t just a means of asking for things we need or making requests, but ultimately a means of self expression; as your students develop their vocabulary, and become more comfortable within their social groups, they’ll naturally start forming and divulging opinions on the events around them. Our packs of wild animal tale story cards are an exciting yet effective means of developing this sense of autonomy; across the 6 cards included in the pack, children will be introduced to an eclectic bunch of characters and situations designed to spark opinion and discussion. Utilising these innovative staple classroom items, children are thus encouraged to develop laterally alongside their classmates, engaging in wider group discussions and developing their own opinions; all the whilst learning to shape them better with an ever-increasing vocabulary.
Getting the Message
In conclusion, speaking and listening classroom items aren’t just a means of extending or developing your students’ vocabulary. Instead they’re an integral factor in their ongoing social and personal development, ultimately helping them to form, shape and express their own opinions. Edusentials stock a vibrant range of speaking and listening items, all of which you can view on our website today. As always, please feel free to share your own tips and advice at our social media.
Originally written 8 December 2015