Language development is crucial to living and
learning: to communicate with others, to share and
express feelings, to give and obtain information, and
to understand ideas and develop thoughts. Being
able to understand and use language allows children
to:
• make their needs, thoughts, feelings and ideas
known;
• interact socially as they play together;
• manage their own behaviour and self-regulate
their emotions; and
• learn independently and collaboratively.
Children bring to the pre-school setting their own
experiences of using language. Some children may
arrive clearly demonstrating an age-appropriate level
of proficiency, while some may not.
24 The Curriculum
Within any group of children there may be a wide
range of knowledge, skills, attitudes and needs. It is
crucial to recognise and value each child’s starting
point in order to provide appropriate support.
As language develops, children need to be supported
to:
• focus their attention and listen (attention and
listening);
• understand language (receptive language);
• use language to convey their own messages
(expressive language);
• become aware of sounds (phonological
awareness);
• remember what they hear and see (auditory and
visual memory); and
• use language as they socialise (pragmatics)