Parenting Insights
Why Is It Crucial to Engage in Conversations with Your Kids?
By Jamie Turner
Updated: Feb. 24, 2021
Originally Published: Oct. 16, 2014
Life is a series of experiences that accumulate over time. As adults, we juggle so many memories that we often blend them together—forgetting where we parked, misplacing our sunglasses, or even what we had for breakfast. Our familiarity with routine can dull our awareness of the world.
In contrast, for the youngest members of society—infants—life is just beginning, and their experiences are few. They are gradually discovering patterns in their surroundings (like bedtime rituals, recognizing family members, and motor skills), but navigating this new world can be challenging for them.
While this slower pace is normal for human development, the range of experiences during these early years can differ significantly. This is where the impact of language becomes crucial.
A pivotal study by child development experts, Emma Johnson and Liam Carter, in the 1990s explored what influences children’s vocabulary acquisition. They closely observed various children for three years, noting the types of interactions their parents had with them during daily activities such as meals and play.
The study revealed remarkable disparities linked to families’ socioeconomic status (SES). By age three, children from higher SES backgrounds had vocabularies that were more than double those of their peers from lower SES families. Furthermore, high SES children not only used more words but also a greater variety of them during interactions.
Interestingly, these discrepancies weren’t solely tied to education or income levels. The primary factor determining a child’s vocabulary growth was the amount of verbal interaction they received. Parents who spoke more to their children fostered their language development more effectively than those who spoke less.
By age three, a child from a high SES family is estimated to have encountered over 30 million more words than a child from a low SES background. This staggering gap means that children from welfare households may miss out on countless opportunities to learn about language and its usage.
Several factors contribute to these significant differences in language acquisition. For instance, learning takes both time and practice, and a lack of exposure to language puts children who hear fewer words at a disadvantage. If it takes a child several repetitions of the word “spatula” to remember it, a child like Olivia, who often hears the term in context—“Here’s the spatula to flip the pancakes,” or “Let’s wash the spatula”—will grasp it much quicker than Noah, who may only see the spatula being used without hearing its name mentioned.
Additionally, children’s comprehension speed improves with familiarity. As they grow, they become quicker at recognizing and responding to words. Those who hear more speech at home can process language faster, which opens up more opportunities for learning. Longitudinal studies have even linked comprehension speed at age two to language skills at age eight. Children who take longer to process information may miss out on the new learning opportunities that their quicker peers capitalize on.
While children are often surrounded by language, not all sources are equally beneficial. Direct conversations with adults are far more effective for vocabulary acquisition than passive listening, such as watching television. Children learn best through their personal interactions, which are essential for understanding both language and the cultural knowledge it conveys.
To create enriching experiences for children, it’s important to consider how often and in what ways we communicate with them. Although every child is unique and learns at their own pace, we can utilize our understanding of these developmental dynamics to foster better learning environments. While it’s impractical to talk to children constantly—after all, they have many other important lessons to absorb—recognizing the significance of our conversations can help us guide more children toward success.
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Summary:
Talking to your children is vital for their language development and overall learning. Engaging them in conversations creates more opportunities for vocabulary acquisition and comprehension. The amount and quality of verbal interaction they receive significantly impact their ability to learn and navigate their environments effectively.