"One of the differences between adults and preschoolers when it comes to private speech is that adults typically talk to themselves in their heads, while preschoolers talk to themselves aloud, particularly while playing or working on a task. Private speech is a good thing for a child's cognitive development; however, it may be important that children monitor and repair errors in their speech, even when talking to themselves," notes an article in Science Daily.
"Louis Manfra, assistant professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, found that children do, in fact, monitor their speech for errors, even without a listener. Manfra says parents and caregivers might encourage preschool-aged children to monitor their private speech by demonstrating such behavior in their own aloud private speech.
"'A disconnection between private speech and task behavior has been observed in studies of children with self-regulation issues, such as ADHD,' Manfra said. 'What was unknown until now was the extent to which preschool-aged children correct their own speech, and if they do so when talking to themselves. This is important because children who do not repair their speech may not benefit as much from their private speech as children who consistently repair their private speech.'"
Each Beginnings Workshop book is a comprehensive collection of articles on a particular topic. The book on Literacy includes topics on:
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Comments (3)
Displaying All 3 CommentsPennsylvania, United States
I agree with Francis, we don't need to say 'wrong' and point out the child's error, if we are in conversation with the children, we can simply role model proper speech and it will come with their maturity. Everything is not a rush. My youngest daughter would tell me that she was 'weasel' painting at nursery school --I found that adorable--as she grew she corrected it to easel---they do make the adjustments--why do we expect perfection?
CSBC
Denver, CO, United States
Why do we always want to fix young children? I tell my students NOT TO correct young children's language usage (because learning a language is all about making mistakes - fast- mapping, singulars and plurals, past and present tense, etc); I would think the same would apply here?
St. Joseph Catholic ELC
bryan, Texas, United States
I have really enjoyed all the articles. I am encouraging my staff to read certain ones because they make you stop and think about your own actions.
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