How can teachers effectively extend children's language?

Teachers can effectively extend children's language by incorporating both participation and explicit instruction. This approach encourages active engagement from children while simultaneously providing clear guidance on language usage. Participation allows children to express their thoughts and ideas, fostering confidence and skill development. Explicit instruction, on the other hand, introduces children to new vocabulary, language structures, and concepts they may not encounter in everyday conversation.

This balanced method not only enriches children's language experiences but also helps them learn through interaction and direct teaching. The combination of these strategies ensures that children's verbal contributions are meaningfully expanded upon, enabling them to develop more sophisticated language skills over time. This approach ultimately supports their overall literacy development, making it a fundamental practice in emergent literacy education.