Developing Oral Language to Support Reading

One key early indicator of success in reading is oral language skills. Literacy skills begin with oral language—how we communicate with our children and how they communicate with us.

Here are a few easy ways to expand your child’s oral language skills at home:

• Vary the types of books you read to your child. Choose books that cover a range of topics, both fiction and nonfiction, to ensure that their vocabulary is rich and diverse.
• Use sophisticated vocabulary when talking with or reading to your child. Resist the urge to modify or omit complex language. After you’ve used a sophisticated word, pause and ask your child what they think the word might mean, then confirm its meaning.
• Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions. Slight shifts in how you ask questions can have a big impact. The next time your child tells you a story, try extending it with these prompts:
• “Tell me more about…”
• “What happened next?”
• “Why do you think…?”

In general, support your child’s oral language by gently prompting them to expand upon what they’re saying (in whatever context), and encourage them to respond in complete thoughts and sentences. Give them the time necessary to do that (for some children, this takes longer than others).

Open-ended questions might be challenging for young children, but they’re important when it comes to expanding language. Open-ended questions encourage creativity and independence, and children must rely more heavily on their language skills to answer (as opposed to giving a one-word response to a more specific question). For instance, asking your child the name of the main character is a brief, easier task. However, if you ask them to tell you what they think might happen to the main character once the story ends, they’ll need to use critical thinking skills and expressive language to answer.

Reading to your child every day is, of course, a surefire way to support the development of their oral language skills, but try the tips above to take it a step further.