#  >> K-12 >> Kindergarten

Expressive Language Development Activities

As babies grow older, their ability to communicate improves. They begin to develop an actual vocabulary, aside from the babbling they previously used to communicate. Expressive language refers to the use of words and gestures to communicate with others. There are various exercises that adults can engage young children in to help them develop their expressive language skills.
  1. Animal Groups

    • Put together pictures of different animals such as fish, birds and tigers; you could also use toys if you have them. Ask the children to arrange the animals in groups, with all the fish, for instance, going into a fish group. Tell them the names for the various groupings. For instance, a group of fish is a school of fish, and a group of lions is a pride of lions. This helps the children learn the group words for different packs of animals.

    Familiar Objects

    • This exercise helps children express the uses of many everyday objects. Put together pictures of familiar objects a child is likely to encounter at school or at home; for instance, a table, a chair, a fork and a spoon. Pull an item from the group of objects and ask the children, in turns, what the object is used for. This exercise could also include forms of transportation, such as buses and trains. The children could answer, for instance, what the use of a bus is.

    Describing Activities

    • Getting children to share their activities with others is another expressive language-development activity. Start the exercise by saying, for instance, that you took a walk in the park the previous day, and asking the children what they did. The children could then describe what they did, in turn. Another way to reinforce the learning is to ask them to make a drawing that depicts what they did.

    Guessing Game

    • Learning to describe an object helps children develop their vocabulary too. A guessing game involves having one child describe a mystery object, while another tries to guess the identity of the object by asking questions about it. One child first hides an object, such as a stuffed toy, and describes it. The other children make guesses about the object. Once the children guess the identity of the mystery object, another child hides a different object, and the game goes on.

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved