Communication, Language and Literacy
Language for Thinking
Training Session for Childminders
This is about how children learn to use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences and how they
use talk to clarify their thinking and ideas or to refer to events they have observed or are curious about.
What do I need to do?
0-11 months and 8-20 months
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Recognise when a baby or toddler is trying to communicate and respond immediately.
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Make sure that there are interesting items in the environment so that you have a focus on
communication.
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Point out items and take babies towards them.
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Let babies and toddlers grasp and hold items and provide a commentary as they are touching them.
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Consider whether babies’ and toddlers’ sight is developing in line with normative expectations.
16-26 months and 22-36 months
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Draw children’s attention to objects in the environment and label them.
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Make comments and use questions as part of a conversation, for example, “I wonder what happened
to that? Perhaps it fell down”.

Make sure that there are interesting items in the environment so that you have a focus for
communication.
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Use the outdoor environment for toddlers to explore and use this as an opportunity to model language.
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Remember that toddlers need time to organise their thoughts and then to respond.
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Reflect on the way you use language to check that you are giving children opportunities to respond.
30-50 months and 40-60 months
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Use specific vocabulary wherever possible, for example, ‘daffodil’ rather than flower.
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Record children’s speech to check that over time it is becoming more complex.
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Use language in context so that children can acquire new phrases and vocabulary.
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Make connections between what a child already knows and new information, for example, “that’s
called scarlet; your shoes are this colour”.
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Encourage children to use their language to explain their thinking and reasoning.
What is in my bag?
What is in my bag?
Put something which rattles, is heavy, flat, soft, etc.
Ask the children (adults) to suggest what they think is in the bag.
Why do you think that is in my bag?
Teddy – Soft
Rattle – noise it makes
Big book – it seemed heavy, its big
Puppet - I think you like them
Chocolate – You love it
Keys – you take them everywhere
Money
Shall I tell you what is in my bag?
It’s my Mother-In-Law!!
It can’t be!
Why?
The bag is too light.
She didn’t weigh much.
She’s too big to fit in the bag.
I’ve cut her up.
When did you cut her up?
Last week.
How?
I cut her up with scissors.
They wouldn’t be big enough
I used the big kitchen scissors. They’re really BIG.
Why doesn’t she smell?
I washed her before I cut her up.
What are you going to do with her now?
I don’t know! Do you want her?
***For the children you could use “‘an elephant’ or ‘a giraffe’ in my bag”.***
Suggested activities which promote ‘Language for Thinking’.
Activity 1 – What’s in Teddy’s Box (0-11 months and 8-20 months)
Find a box with a lid and place inside some objects which you think will be of an interest to the baby/toddler.
Resources: Teddy, Box with Lid, a book, a toy, or a sensory object, for example, a shell.
What to do: When the baby/toddler opens the box and takes out the objects label them and acknowledge the
toddlers surprise. Remember to talk to the baby/toddler about what they are doing and using.
Activity 2 – Finding Treasure with Teddy (16-26 months and 22-36 months)
Use a car tyre filled with some bark chippings (or similar) and hide some objects inside which you think will be
of an interest to the toddler.
Resources: Teddy, Car tyre, Polythene sheeting, items of interest for example, dinosaurs, farm animals,
a purse, mobile phone.
What to do: Start the activity by digging for treasure yourself. Show the toddler what you have found and
let them touch it. Then encourage the toddler to explore, and talk to them about what they are finding.
If the toddler decides to play with the found object allow them to and come back to the activity later.
Remember to talk to the baby/toddler about what they are doing and using.
Activity 3 - Help Teddy Pack (30-50 months and 40-60 months)
Teddy is going on holiday and he needs some help with packing.
Resources: Teddy, Teddy’s suitcase, clothes and some peculiar objects, i.e. pasta, dinosaurs tooth.
What to do: Encourage the children to pack the suitcase for teddy. Ask the children to explain to the teddy
which items he can take and why. Then ask them to explain to teddy why he cannot take some of the peculiar
items. To encourage the children to think role model some of the possible reasons by talking to teddy yourself.
Activity 4 – Teddy’s Leaves (30-50 months and 40-60 months)
Teddy wants the children to sort out the leaves into piles of the same type of leaf.
Resources: Teddy, large pile of leaves, boxes, containers, hoola hoops.
What to do: Talk to the children about the different leaves. Pick two leaves from the same group. Draw the
children’s attention to the way in which they may still have differences, for example different lengths,
colours, etc. Role model the language and thinking.
Useful Books and Websites for Language for Thinking
Tassoni, P. (2010). Penny Tassoni's Continued Success with the EYFS. Harlow: Heinemann.
Tassoni, P. (2008). Penny Tassoni's Practical EYFS Handbook. Harlow: Heinemann.
Teacher Find
www.teachfind.com/.../eyfs-today-developing-communication-lang - accessed 19.07.11
Excellent video footage of how to develop “Language for thinking”.
www.montessorieducationuk.org/?q=eyfs/learning-and...language... accessed 20.07.11