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Early Learning
The role of gestures in a child's learning
Many of us speak with our hands and now experts suggest always using our hands when talking with children. While young children are forming and expanding their vocabulary, gestures help them bridge the gap between words and the world they live in.
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Early Learning
Helping children build language skills
David Loyst has been studying and teaching about parenting for over 30 years as a speech language pathologist, autism consultant, and parent coach. He says it helps to think not just about language development, but ‘expressive’ language development.
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Early Learning
Let’s chat! Conversations with infants
While babies are born with an innate ability to tune into language, their language development is shaped by the kinds of interactions they experience from birth. Professor of Early Childhood Sheila Degotardi looks at the importance of conversation.
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Early Learning
Boys lagging behind when school starts
What role do biology and society play in boys not being as developmentally ready to start school as girls? Right from birth, boys and girls don’t begin life on the same starting block. The impact of this is a question researchers are trying to unravel.
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Early Learning
Child speech development milestones
A child's first word is an exciting time, but often we don’t recognise that preparation for speech starts much earlier than those first recognisable sounds. As parents smile and talk with babies, they are listening to the sounds that make up language.
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Early Learning
The ongoing benefits of bilingualism
Researchers have found that the benefits of learning two languages as a child extend well into adulthood. For families who speak a language other than English at home, embracing that language can have many positive outcomes for their children.
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Early Learning
The role of parents and home learning
Dr Kate Liley highlights the importance of the home learning environment in supporting children’s development. She discusses how it features strongly in research as being key to children’s language, physical, intellectual and social development.
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Early Learning
Why talking to your baby or child matters
The world of the young child is exciting. Research tells us the importance of early communication and the need for children to experiment with sounds, babbling, making noises, learning vocabulary, and communicating from as early an age as possible.
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