Supporting Speech Development in Preschoolers

Supporting Preschool Speech Development

Supporting speech development is a huge component of preschool. Many of the activities in classrooms are centered around play, building relationships, and providing opportunities for preschoolers to interact with their peers and teachers. All of which are important aspects of speech development. 

As early educators there are so many things we can do to naturally support speech development through our daily conversations, activities, and routines.

Opportunities for Interaction

One of the best ways to support preschool speech development is proving plenty of opportunities for natural play. These opportunities allow preschoolers to talk with their friends and teachers. Dramatic play is where natural conversation happens the most. During this type of play, preschoolers areWhen acting out loud, role-playing, chatting, and having conversations with their friends. We can promote this by creating different themes in our dramatic play areas. I have highlighted some creative ways to create a dramatic play space in this post. 

Conversation Cards

Conversation cards are another great way to spark discussions about different topics between students. You can use these during circle time or throughout the day as needed. Conversation cards encourage preschoolers to talk, but they also educate and require preschoolers to think a little deeper about different topics. Try using a different card each day as part of your routine.

Storytelling Activities 

​One of my favorite ways to promote speech development in the classroom is using storytelling activities. As early educators, we probably all have students who are natural talkers and sharers, but we also have students who are working on developing these skills. Storytelling allows students to recreate and revisit a story. When we give preschoolers a topic, but allow them to tell a story using their own vision and creativity, it gives them a little more confidence in speaking out loud. This  Jack & Jill Oral Literacy resource is a great example of a story telling resource that encourages preschoolers to make predictions, retell the story, and learn new vocabulary. When preschoolers are engaged in an activity, they are more likely to communicate and participate! 

---

Reading 

Read-alouds are a important to speech development. Books are one of the first tools we use with babies because they expose them to language and are a strong tools for interaction. When reading to preschoolers, we introduce them to new vocabulary, including new sounds and correct pronunciations. Preschool teachers are notorious for repeating books, why? Because it’s one of the best ways to help preschoolers remember and retell a story. When reading to preschoolers, we also show expressions with facial emotions, and body language, which is an excellent tool in assisting preschoolers in communicating with others. 

Reading gives young learners a chance to practice words, understand their meaning, and encourage preschoolers to discuss the story’s happening. Be sure to check out my post, all about supporting early readers. 

​I have listed a few of my favorite books to support preschool speech development:
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
There’s a Monster in Your Book
Llama Llama Series 
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

---

Letter and Name Activities 

Teaching letters is a great way to incorporate letter sounds because it helps preschoolers learn the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Modeling the sounds also helps those students who are struggling with specific sounds. Since not all preschoolers develop at the same pace, they may struggle to say the letters, and need instruction with letter recognition. I highlight some great activities that can help preschoolers with letter recognition and sounds in this post.

Name Recognition

Name recognition is an area we spend a lot of time on in early education. Preschoolers are so excited to talk about their names, say their names, and have conversations that include names. This post has some fun ideas in helping preschoolers recognize and say their names. Signing songs and making name conversation a part of circle time and a daily routine is a simple way to promote practicing each other’s names. ​

---

Tips for Supporting Speech Development

• Encourage preschoolers to describe their emotions, feelings, or problems.
• Sing songs, read stories, and recite rhymes that have repetitive sounds and repeat the beginning sounds in words "b-b-b-bubbles"
• Ask open-ended questions that require preschoolers to explain. 
• Include activities and games that call for following directions.
• Allow time in your day for conversation and discussion.
• Model good listening. 
• Teach preschoolers words that expand their vocabulary. For instance, a vehicle is a car. 
• Singing songs is a great way to support speech.
• Build on what they say. If they say “it’s a rainy day”. You can say, “Yes, it’s so rainy, I see a lot of clouds!” 
• Avoid using the phrase “use your words,” but instead model and coach preschoolers by assisting them with phrases like “I wonder…” or “What do you think we should do?

---

Preschoolers are excelling in leaps and bounds everyday which makes it so important to use a system to track progress. Check out this free assessment binder as a way to monitor progress, highlight goals, and use it as a tool to communicate with parents about their child.

Consider incorporating a developmental screening tool into your program as well. If a child needs support from a specialist early intervention is key! Check out this page from the CDC for more guidance and tools about speech delay.

The most important part of supporting preschool speech development is being consistent, and creating a classroom environment where preschoolers are encouraged to communicate, and talk with one another. Preschoolers have a lot to say!

More Posts Like This:

Simple Approach to PreK at Home
​Create a Sense of Belonging