Raising a child is the hardest job in the world. Adding to that difficulty is the pressure. Society bombards parents with lots of well-meaning advice about how to raise their children, so much that it can sometimes be overwhelming. A poll last year, which suggests that parents don’t read enough with their children, led to yet another round of guilt-inducing messages in the press.
Very relatable if your first response to these well-meaning experts is a hollow laugh and the tendency to mutter ‘‘yeah, sure... if you can find an extra 30 mins in my day for this, please do’. Continue to read if you are curious about other ways to support the language development of your child.
Reading, and what else?
Reading is important – not only does it help children build the essential language skills that are so important for reading and writing, but also spending time with your children enjoying books together is a great way to strengthen your relationship. So if you do find time for a bedtime story, then take it!
But there are plenty of other ways to achieve similar results, many of which can be fitted more easily into our busy schedules. Here are a few tips for things you can do to help support your child’s language development throughout the primary school years, that can (hopefully) be fitted into your day without too much extra effort:
Talk, talk, talk
The single most important thing you can do is talk with your child – not just at them. This means, for example, asking open-ended questions that can't be answered with yes or no: What was the strangest thing that happened today? If you could change one rule at school, what would it be and why? These questions push children to organise their thoughts, retrieve vocabulary, and build arguments.
For example, mealtimes are a genuinely underrated language classroom. A regular habit of talking about the day, sharing opinions about food, discussing something in the news, or even debating silly hypotheticals ("Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?") gives children important practice with the rhythms of conversation — taking turns, listening, responding, disagreeing respectfully.
Word play and games
Games are a great route into better language. Word games like Twenty Questions, I Spy with description clues, or Taboo (describing a word without using certain other words) build vocabulary and push children to think about how language works. Board games like Scrabble Junior, Bananagrams, or Codenames develop word knowledge through genuine play! And riddles and jokes are particularly valuable — they require a child to hold two meanings of a word in mind at once, which is a pretty sophisticated skill for 6-year olds.
Storytelling
Making up stories together or retelling films from memory build important narrative skills, and these are useful for both reading and writing. Try a "story chain" in the car or when cycling to school: one person starts a story, then you take turns adding a sentence each. This teaches them to set up problems, introduce characters, and move plots forward. And playing "restaurant", "doctor's surgery", or "news reporter" encourages children to use formal or specialised language they wouldn't normally try.
Real-world language experiences
Children's language grows fastest when it's anchored to real experiences. Anything that introduces new vocabulary is useful here. For example, cooking together means children learn to follow instructions, name ingredients and techniques, and discuss what's happening and why. But it doesn’t have to be cooking; any hobby (football, Lego, art etc) gives children access to specialised vocabulary that matters to them personally.
Meaningful conversations
All these activities have one thing in common: genuinely engaged , meaningful conversations. Children's language grows when they have things worth saying, people who listen, and the time and freedom to find the words they need to express themselves. Have fun!
Written by Caroline Rowland