Speaking & Listening Development

Every Child has a voice worth hearing. From tiny Baby sounds to confident Conversations, speaking and listening grow step by step and it’s magical to watch. This guide helps you understand what to expect at different ages and how you can support your child’s communication journey with love and fun.

Fun Activity ideas to support development

  • Show and tell: Let your child bring something special and explain it. Great for building confidence and vocabulary.
  • Tresure Hunt: Give your child clues like “Find something soft” or “Look under the table!” Helps build listening and following directions.
  • Story time: Read aloud together. Pause to ask, “What do you think happens next?”
  • Sing songs & Rhymes: Repetition helps children hear and learn new words.

Activity Ideas:

Engage children’s speaking and listening skills with fun, meaningful activities. Show and Tell encourages children to share something special and speak confidently while others practice listening and asking questions. Treasure Hunts build listening and comprehension as children follow simple clues or directions to find hidden objects. Puppet Play sparks imaginative dialogue and role-play, supporting turn-taking. Story Baskets allow children to retell stories using props, boosting vocabulary and sequencing. Try a Listening Walk, where children describe sounds they hear outdoors.

Activity Ideas by Stage

  • Babies (0–1): Responsive babbling—imitate their coos. Picture-book time—label images gently.

  • Toddlers (1–2): Treasure hunt—“find the red ball.” Show & tell—a favorite toy in simple sentence.

  • Preschoolers (2–5): Story circle—children share a short story using props; Role play—set up a pretend café with ordering dialogue; Rhyming games—“I’m picking a frog, hopping on a log.”

EYLF Link: Outcome 5 – Children are effective communicators

The Early Year Learning Framework (V2.0) encourages us to support children in becoming strong communicators. In Outcomes 5, Children

5.1 Interact verbally and non- verbally with others for a range of purposes

5.2 Engage in enjoyable verbal and non- verbal interactions during play

5.4 Use language to convey and construct messages

Children Evidences

  • Messages “I found the blue teddy!” (describing and expressing)
  • “Can I play too?” (Connecting and asking)
  • “That’s not fair” (Communicating feelings)

     (The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, 2022).

 Adult–Child Interactions

Everyday interactions—our chats, questions, and reactions—are powerful tools for learning. This serve-and-return communication, where a child speaks or gestures and an adult responds thoughtfully, is essential for building language, social skills, and neural connections. Consistent responsive talk helps children’s brains grow stronger through conversation, much like muscles grow from exercise.

This aligns perfectly with EYLF Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators, which highlights the importance of children interacting “verbally and non‑verbally with others for a range of purposes” and developing “symbols and patterns” in language

Tips to Enhance Everyday Talk

Follow the Child’s Lead
Notice their interests and start from there. If they’re building with blocks, comment, “You’re stacking red blocks high—wow!”

  1. Get on Their Level
    Physically and mentally—sit with them, make eye contact, and truly listen.

  2. Expand Their Words
    If a child says “car,” respond with, “Yes, a shiny blue car zooms fast.”

  3. Ask Open-Ended Questions
    Try "What do you think will happen next?" instead of yes/no questions to spark thinking.

  4. Pause and Wait
    Give them time to process language and respond—avoid filling in silence

Activity-Based Examples

  • Playtime Dialogue:
    Let the child guide the game, and comment on their play. “You’re pretending to cook. What’s on the menu tonight?”

  • Reading Together:
    While reading, pause and ask, “How do you think the frog feels?” Encourage turn-taking in storytelling.

  • Song and Rhyme Games:
    After singing a nursery rhyme, start again and invite the child to fill in the next line, reinforcing memory and engagement.

  • Nature Walk Conversations:
    Go outside and talk about what you see and hear: “That bird just flew! What sound did it make?”

  • Role Play Scenarios:
    Encourage pretend play—set up a café or vet clinic and act out ordering food or caring for toy animals, prompting verbal exchange.

Downloadable Checklist Poster

To support families and educators, use this “Ways to Talk with Your Child During Play” poster/checklist, perfect for display or digital download:

  • “Tell me more about that…”

  • “What are you doing now?”

  • “Can you show me how that works?”

  • “I love how you're thinking.”

  • “What happens next?” (Edwards, S., & Bird, J. 2017)

 

Culturally Responsive Communication

In our richly diverse communities, families bring with them unique languages, stories, and ways of connecting. Culturally responsive communication is not just about acknowledging this diversity—it’s about embracing and valuing it. For children learning English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D), their home language plays a vital role in shaping who they are, how they feel, and how they learn.

Early childhood educators, families, and caregivers can create meaningful learning experiences by weaving home languages alongside English, supporting both language development and a strong cultural identity.

Why Home Language Matters

Using a child’s home language in early learning is not a barrier to English—it’s a bridge. Research shows that strong foundations in a child’s first language enhance their ability to learn additional languages like English. Children don’t “confuse” languages; they are flexible thinkers capable of code-switching and making meaning across linguistic systems.

Quoting the Australian Government Department of Education, 2022):

“Being culturally competent means having knowledge of, respect for and ability to work with children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. It includes being aware of your own world view, understanding and respecting others’ world views and changing your perspective when required.”

“Valuing and respecting diverse cultures, languages and traditions helps build children’s confidence, sense of identity and wellbeing.” 

Key Strategies for Inclusive Language Use

  1. Use Both Languages Consistently
    Greet children bilingually—“Hello / Bonjour!”—letting them hear familiar sounds and build trust.

  2. Invite Family Participation
    Encourage caregivers to share home-language words, songs, lullabies, or stories in group sessions.

  3. Label Multilingually
    Display objects and areas around the room with labels in English and relevant home languages.

  4. Create Language Corners
    Include bilingual books, audio recordings, and props that reflect multiple cultures.

  5. Celebrate Language Diversity
    Organize cultural share-times where children demonstrate a song, greeting, or story from home.

Our story

EYLF Outcomes

  • Outcome 1 – Identity & Belonging
    Recognizing home languages supports children to see themselves in the world:
    “Children have a strong sense of identity … supported when their culture and language are respected.”

  • Outcome 5 – Effective Communicators
    Bilingual experiences foster symbolic understanding:
    “Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from multilingual experiences.”

     (Edwards, 2015).

     

                                                                                      Home Learning Environments

Empower families to create engaging language environments at home, supporting children’s speaking, listening, reading, and thinking all foundational to EYLF Outcome 5: "Children are effective communicators."

Ideas for Language-Rich Spaces

  • Cozy Book Corner: A comfy nook with a low bookshelf, soft cushions, and warm lighting invites children to explore books independently or with a caregiver.

  • Storytelling Basket: Fill a basket with puppets, figurines, and story stones to encourage narration, imagination, and vocabulary building.

  • Family Writing Station: A small table stocked with paper, pencils, stickers, and word cards encourages drawing and storytelling.

  • Conversation Cues: Place prompt jars or cards with starter questions (“What if…?”, “Tell me about…”) around the house to spark discussion during daily routines.

Importance of Reading, Singing & Routines

  • Reading daily with children supports language development, narrative understanding, and concentration.

  • Singing songs and rhymes strengthens phonological awareness and memory through rhythm and repetition.

  • Routine conversations, like describing breakfast choices or packing school bags, integrate real-life vocabulary and meaningful interaction, helping children grow as confident communicators.

Parent Story For example: Maria’s Home Library

Maria, a mother from an Arabic-speaking home, created a small reading corner featuring English–Arabic books and cozy pillows. Each night, she and her daughter Lina read Brown Bear / Braun Bar, alternating languages and using puppets to act out the story. Over time, Lina eagerly picked up Arabic words and retold the story in both languages. On weekends, Maria taught Lina a lullaby in Arabic and added a short English chorus. This predictable, warm routine strengthened their bond and Lina’s communication skills touching deeply on EYLF Outcome 1 (Identity) and Outcome 5 (Communication). (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority 2022)

Multimodal Resources Section

A video such as “Parent and Child Shared Reading” demonstrates powerful dialogic reading techniques—where parents ask open-ended questions and pause to let children respond. Shared reading fosters joint attention, conversational turn-taking, and deeper engagement

Downloadable Tip Sheets

Offer practical, printable tip sheets for families and educators:

  • “How to Use Dialogic Reading at Home”: Tips include asking predictive questions, expanding children’s utterances, and encouraging them to retell stories.

  • “Incorporate Music & Movement”: Simple steps with songs in English and home languages.

  • “Create a Multimodal Story Kit”: Suggestions include books, puppets, drawing tools, and audio clips to stimulate storytelling through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modes.

Why Use Multimodal Resources?

 

  • They acknowledge that children learn best when combining visual, auditory, physical, and symbolic input .

  • The EYLF highlights that children express ideas through “a range of media—including music, drama, and digital tools” (Outcome 5.3).

  • Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory reminds us that shared, multimodal experiences—like reading, singing, and playing—build both language and relationships.

Creating a Multimodal Home Space

  • Reading Nook: Include colorful books, cushions, puppets, and audio book players.

  • Music Corner: Provide simple instruments and multilingual song playlists.

  • Movement Zone: Add scarves, story stones, or act-out props for physical storytelling.

  • Digital Dialogues: Use curated video clips (e.g., parent–child reading) to model interaction and narrate digital experiences together.

Our story

We are a dedicated team committed to crafting exceptional experiences. Our focus lies in providing reliable and innovative solutions, driven by a deep respect for quality and a genuine desire to exceed expectations.

EYLF Outcome 

  • 5.1: Children interact using words, gestures, and media for different purposes.

  • 5.2: Songs, audio clips, and videos make interaction playful and engaging.

  • 5.3: Expressing meaning through visual art, music, writing, and drama.

  • 5.4: Understanding symbols—pictures, letters, and musical notation.

     (BELONGING, BEING & BECOMING, 2022, pp. Australian Government Department of Education, 2022).