All Modules B6-Development Matters in the early years | Page 19

Playing and Exploring, Active Learning, and Creating and Thinking Critically support children’s learning across all areas

3 Communication and Language: Understanding
Positive Relationships:
what adults could do

what adults could provide

• Prompt children’s thinking and discussion through
involvement in their play.
• Talk to children about what they have been doing and
help them to reflect upon and explain events, e.g. “You
told me this model was going to be a tractor. What’s this
lever for?”
• Give children clear directions and help them to deal with
those involving more than one action, e.g. “Put the cars
away, please, then come and wash your hands and get
ready for lunch”.
• When introducing a new activity, use mime and gesture to
support language development.
• Showing children a photograph of a