Show and tell encourages students to develop communication skills. According to the education website Bright Hub, kindergartners must describe people, introduce locations, explain how toys work or why they're significant to them, express ideas in complete sentences and organize their thoughts during show and tell. As they communicate with classmates and share their show-and-tell items, kindergartners learn to read the audience and respond to student and teacher inquiries.
Kindergartners' vocabulary is ever-expanding; show and tell gives them a chance to incorporate new vocabulary into their presentation. Parents can practice with students beforehand to make sure they're prepared to talk about their special toy or keepsake. Parents might introduce new vocabulary words to help their child express himself better. For example, a parent might talk about a stuffed animal's real living habitat, discuss mechanisms that make a toy function properly or share the background behind a favorite photograph.
At first, sharing might seem uncomfortable and overwhelming but once kindergartners get positive feedback from parents, teachers and classmates, show and tell is often a highlight of the kindergarten experience. Show and tell benefits all types of students, giving outgoing, friendly students an opportunity to stand in the spotlight and offering shy or laid-back students a chance to express themselves in a confidence-boosting environment. According to the Early Childhood News website, show and tell teaches kindergartners to look at their audience and speak loudly and clearly so classmates can understand them.
Show and tell encourages kindergartners to develop good listening skills so they learn to respect and appreciate their peers. During show-and-tell time, kindergartners learn to ask relevant questions and consider their classmates values and interests. Show and tell stimulates the thinking process and opens little minds to a wide range of diverse concepts. As a teacher or a parent, you can encourage kindergartners to bring a completely different object for each show-and-tell session. For example, you might encourage a student to showcase a favorite photograph or keepsake if she's already shared a favorite toy or stuffed animal.