Hi, and welcome to the School Readiness Language Workshop.
I’m so glad you decided to join me.
If you’re looking to help your child get ready for school – if you think your preschooler might benefit from improving their listening and expressive language skills – you’re in the right place.
I’m David Kinnane, known by many as @speechbloke. I’m a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist based in Sydney, Australia; the founder of Banter Speech & Language, an independent speech pathology clinic; and the father of two boys.
Why school readiness matters
A child’s school readiness is:
- predictive of academic outcomes (e.g. Snow, 2006); and
- a strong indicator of ongoing and future success (e.g. Prior et al., 1993).
Cognitive and language abilities are more predictive of school readiness than social skills, behavioural problems, or even being read to at home. One of the most influential factors to predict school readiness is the child’s oral language competencies (listening and talking) (Prior et al., 2011).
Who are most at risk?
Some children are at a heightened risk of not being ready for school, including:
- boys;
- children with poor English skills (in English-speaking schools);
- children with behavioural and emotional problems; and
- children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
What does the course involve?
This practical course contains 20 modules – two a month, with more than 90 of our most frequently sought after therapy resources – arranged in a developmental sequence. Tried and tested in our busy speech pathology clinic, and used by speech pathologists and teachers from all around the world, these resources form a self-paced structured program suitable for parents to work through with their preschoolers – especially for those who need a bit of extra support.
This course is designed primarily for preschoolers aged 36 months or older who are already speaking in 3-5 (or more) word phrases. If your preschooler is not talking at all, or using only single words or occasional 2-word phrases, we recommend first consulting with a local certified practising speech pathologist who can help using early language stimulation and child-led strategies. You can read more about this type of therapy here.
My job here is to help you to support your child’s language development before school starts.
This course is designed to give you the tools you need to support your child’s language skills. At your pace, and from the comfort of your own home or workplace.
Please have a look around this website for lots of free, evidence-based tips on language communication, including information on school readiness and the importance of oral language skills.
Now, if you need support or want to share your success story, please reach out to us.
Again, welcome to The School Readiness Language Workshop. Where we support you to help your child get ready for listening and talking at ‘big school’.
Banter Speech & LanguageBanter Speech & Language is owned and managed by David Kinnane, a Hanen- and LSVT LOUD-certified speech-language pathologist with post-graduate training in the PreLit early literacy preparation program by MultiLit, the Spalding Method for literacy, the Lidcombe and Camperdown Programs for stuttering, and Voicecraft for voice disorders. David is also a Certified PESL Instructor for accent modification.
David holds a Master of Speech Language Pathology from the University of Sydney, where he was a Dean’s Scholar. David is a Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP). David is a part-time Associate Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney’s Graduate School of Health. David sits on Speech Pathology Australia’s Ethics Board and Professional Standards Advisory Committee.
Is your child ready for school? What Kindergarten teachers say
Around this time of the year, many parents of 4-5 year olds are pulling their (sometimes scant) hair out trying to decide whether their children should start school next year. Experts of all stripes claim to be able to tell whether a child is ready. But here’s an idea: why not ask those actually dealing with young kids in their first year at school? In other words:
the Kindergarten teachers!
Tanya Serry and her colleagues did just that. They sent surveys to 250 Kindergarten* teachers in Melbourne, Australia, asking them to identify factors contributing to a successful transition to school.
153 teachers responded. So what did they say?
A. Brain and self-care readiness
Kindergarten teachers wanted children on day one of school to:
- be toilet trained;
- be able to dress themselves (except tying shoelaces);
- care for personal belongings;
- eat snacks and lunch independently;
- pay attention and concentrate (though there was no consensus on for how long);
- count from 1 to 10;
- know the alphabet;
- know their names and how to write their names; and
- share and take turns.
B. Social readiness
No real surprises here. Kindergarten teachers surveyed wanted children to:
- be able to share and take turns with other kids;
- play with others;
- engage with both children and adults;
- be able to separate from Mum and Dad confidently; and
- have some resilience.
C. Speech and language readiness
Kindergarten teachers preferred children to be able to:
- communicate in words;
- speak clearly;
- express their needs; and
- listen to and follow instructions.
D. Physical readiness
Kindergarten teachers were most concerned about fine motor skills, particularly being able to use scissors and a pencil.
E. Learning readiness
Kindergarten teachers wanted children to be capable of:
- engaging in learning;
- persistence;
- work;
- having a go; and
- making choices.
F. Age readiness?
Interestingly, a majority of the kindergarten teachers who responded to the survey suggested that children need to be older than 5 years to start school.
G. Other things that help
Many teachers thought that previous pre-school experiences, formal orientation programs, good school staff and positive parent attitudes also contributed to a successful first year.
Clinical bottom line
The study had some limitations – for example, only 61.2% of Kindergarten teachers who received the survey responded. But the key themes are broadly consistent with previous research and make sense.
Starting “big school” is a big deal and parents are right to feel some trepidation about making the call. We’ve known for decades that a child’s first year at school can affect their later school success (e.g. Luster & McAdoo, 1996).
“School readiness” includes anything that affects a child’s readiness to learn. It isn’t just one set of skills. The Kindergarten teachers who filled in this survey thought kids are more likely to succeed in their first year if they have sufficient emotional, self-care, social, language and motor skills, and maturity, and can fit into school routines.
Principal source: Serry, T., Imms, C., Froude, E., Joffe, B., Heine, C., Merrigan, C. (2014). Preparatory teachers’ perceptions of school readiness: a survey of Victorian teachers. The Australian Educational Researcher. 41: 109-124.
* Explanatory note: In Victoria, the first year of primary school is called “Prep”. In New South Wales, we call this first year “Kindergarten”. Confusingly, Victoria refers to what we in New South Wales call “Pre-school” as “Kindergarten”. As a Victorian by birth, managing a clinic based in New South Wales, I have taken it upon myself to “translate” the Victorian references into terms my Sydney clients and their families will understand. For international and interstate readers, I lament our Nation’s inability to use the same terms to mean the same things and apologise on its behalf.
Related articles:
- Is your child ready for school? Focusing on what matters most
- Beyond school readiness: 7 signs that your Kindergarten, Year 1 or Year 2 child may have a language delay
Image: http://bit.ly/1OeiExp
Banter Speech & LanguageBanter Speech & Language is owned and managed by David Kinnane, a Hanen- and LSVT LOUD-certified speech-language pathologist with post-graduate training in the Spalding Method for literacy, the Lidcombe and Camperdown Programs for stuttering, and Voicecraft for voice disorders. David is also a Certified PESL Instructor for accent modification.
David holds a Master of Speech Language Pathology from the University of Sydney, where he was a Dean’s Scholar. David is a Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP).
Is your child ready for school? Focusing on what matters most
School readiness is a controversial concept. In Australia, Commonwealth and State governments expect children to be ready for school at around 5 years of age – regardless of their developmental history or family background.
What is school readiness?
Most research has focused on two categories of abilities educators expect kids to possess when they start school:
- Intellectual and language abilities, e.g. concentration, attention, understanding spoken language and talking, and pre-literacy skills like a knowledge of sounds and letters (later-developing phonological awareness skills); and
- Social skills, e.g. abilities to interact effectively with peers and teachers, to behave in class, and to persist in tasks.
Other studies have looked at factors like gender, poverty, family dynamics and parent education levels, which we know can affect a child’s school readiness (e.g. Thomas, 2006).
Why does school readiness matter?
Two main reasons:
- Children’s capacities at school entry are predictive of academic outcomes (e.g. Snow, 2006).
- Early success at school is a strong indicator of ongoing and future success (e.g. Prior et al, 1993).
Children most at risk of not being ready for school
- Boys: studies show boys tend to mature later, and are often behind girls in the first few years, although they generally catch up later.
- Children from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Children with a language impairment.
- Children with below average cognitive abilities.
- Children with behavioural and emotional problems.
Of course, many children fit into more than one of these categories. Children with a language impairment are at a significant risk of not being ready for school. This is because language skills support a child’s readiness to learn.
So what are the most important predictors of school readiness?
In a recent large study (cited below), Margot Prior and colleagues found that the most influential variables to predict school readiness were:
- child language competencies (listening and talking); and
- pre-literacy capacities, specifically letter knowledge and phoneme awareness (knowledge of sounds).
Interestingly, these cognitive and language abilities were much more predictive of school readiness than social skills, behavioural problems, or even being read to at home. Many school readiness programs and checklists focus on social skills and teaching parents to read to their kids at home.
This study suggests that some of these programs and checklists should be rethought since “early acquisition of letter and sound knowledge, plus language enrichment experiences appear much more likely to make a difference in successful transition to school…although reading to children may add to the language knowledge”.
Bottom line
Improving a child’s language skills before school can have lasting positive effects into pre-school and beyond – especially for children at risk. Parents and pre-school teachers (with help from speech pathologists and other health professionals) should target language teaching and pre-literacy skills like sound and letter knowledge. Systemic instruction in language and literacy skills for pre-schoolers can enhance their success in the first years of school.
Principal source: Prior, M., Bavin, E., & Ong., B. (2011). Predictors of school readiness in five- to -six-year-old children from an Australian longitudinal community sample. Education Psychology, 31(1), 3-16.
Related articles:
- Is your child ready for school? What Kindergarten teachers say
- Language
- Beyond school readiness: 7 signs that your kindergarten, year 1 or year 2 child may have a language delay
Image: http://tinyurl.com/o4nesx9
Banter Speech & LanguageBanter Speech & Language is owned and managed by David Kinnane, a Hanen- and LSVT LOUD-certified speech-language pathologist with post-graduate training in the Spalding Method for literacy, the Lidcombe and Camperdown Programs for stuttering, and Voicecraft for voice disorders. David is also a Certified PESL Instructor for accent modification.
David holds a Master of Speech Language Pathology from the University of Sydney, where he was a Dean’s Scholar. David is a Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP).
Beyond school readiness: 7 signs that your kindergarten, year 1 or year 2 child may have a language delay
There are some fantastic school readiness checklists and speech-language programs out there to help you help your child develop the language skills necessary for his or her first day at big school. But what signs of language delay should you look out for after your child has started school?
Of course – disclaimer alert! – children don’t develop in exactly the same way according to a pre-programmed formula (if only!). But here are 7 fairly straightforward things you can listen out for that signal there might be an issue worth looking into:
- Your child doesn’t use correct plurals for common nouns. He/she says dog for dogs, bus for buses, mans for men, childs for children, and sheeps for sheep. Don’t worry about fish/es – a controversial topic at the best of times!
- Your child doesn’t have a good handle on the past tense of common irregular verbs, e.g. if he/she says words like “goed” and “holded” and “broked” and “flied” and “falled”. Although this is a common stage of language development called “overgeneralisation” – the subject of a separate article here – most children have “went”, “held” and “broke”, and “flew” and “fell” down by school.
- Your child can’t rhyme words, count syllables, identify words that begin with the same sound or link sounds to letters of the alphabet. This may indicate a problem with phonological awareness, which is strongly related to later reading development.
- Your child can’t give or follow two-step instructions, e.g. “Put on your shoes after you pack your lunchbox”. This may indicate your child is not processing sentences with complex syntax or applying rules of thumb, like watching what others do or doing things in the order they’re said. Of course, it may also indicate your child is ignoring you and testing your patience/limits (something that happens to me with increasing frequency!).
- Your child can’t sort common words by opposites or category. For example, knowing black/white, big/small, up/down, over/under, heavy/light are related words; or that chickens, horses, cows, goats, sheep and ducks are all farm animals, while cars, motorbikes, jets, boats and trains are all forms of transport.
- Your child can’t sit and listen quietly to others. There are a number of possible explanations for this, including possible attention issues or simply – dare I say it? – old-fashioned naughtiness. But it may also signal that your child has problems understanding what others are saying, causing frustration to both listener and speaker.
- Your child can’t re-tell a simple story coherently. As your child goes up the grades at school, he/she will be required to work with what some academic folk call “text types of the narrative genre”, and what almost everyone else calls “stories”. This one is easy to check – simply read your child an age-appropriate bedtime story, then ask him/her to tell it back to you. Does the story make sense? Did your child cover the start, middle, high point and end? Did your child identify the main and supporting characters? Did he/she speak in full, grammatically correct sentences with lots of description and appropriate emotion in his/her voice?
If you spot one or more of these potential issues – DON’T PANIC! It doesn’t necessarily mean your child has a language delay. If there is an issue, there’s a good chance your child’s teacher has spotted it and is working on it with specialist teachers at the school. But if you are worried – particularly if your child ticks more than 3 boxes above, or you have a family history of language problems – don’t hesitate to contact a qualified speech-language pathologist who can assess each of the above language skills (and more) with a comprehensive diagnostic assessment.
Banter Speech & LanguageBanter Speech & Language is owned and managed by David Kinnane, a Hanen- and LSVT LOUD-certified speech-language pathologist with post-graduate training in the Spalding Method for literacy, the Lidcombe and Camperdown Programs for stuttering, and Voicecraft for voice disorders. David is also a Certified PESL Instructor for accent modification.
David holds a Master of Speech Language Pathology from the University of Sydney, where he was a Dean’s Scholar. David is a Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP).
Do we spend too much time on rhyming books? What else should we do to prepare pre-schoolers to read?
Duck in the Truck
The Cat in the Hat
Madeline, with her vines and twelve little girls in two straight lines
All great, fun books to read aloud – my sons love them; and so do I. But do we spend too much time playing around with rhyming books and not enough time working on other skills children need for reading before they go to school?
SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie;
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing;
Was not that a dainty dish
To set before the King?
(During the next verse, somebody’s nose gets nipped.)
Before I answer this, let me back up for a moment and explain a couple of key concepts.
Phonological awareness
A strong predictor of later reading and spelling skills in pre-schoolers is what we call their “phonological awareness”. Phonological awareness is hard to explain. Essentially, it’s the child’s ability to attend to, identify and manipulate sounds in spoken words. It covers a bunch of sub-skills, including an understanding of:
- rhyme (e.g. cat-hat-mat-sat, etc.);
- stress patterns in words (e.g. the stress is on the first syllable of “water”; and on the second syllable of “begin”);
- syllables or “beats” (e.g. elephant has three syllables: el-e-phant);
- how words can be broken down or “segmented” into individual sounds (e.g. dog (d-o-g) is not the same word as dot (d-o-t)); and
- how individual sounds can be put together or “blended” to make words (e.g. d+o+g = dog, a four-legged canine.)
Speech pathologists and other experts in early education agree that the explicit teaching of these skills is critical for later literacy education. This is because, in English, our written language uses an alphabet, a type of code. Written words are made up of letters (not sounds). But, for most of our words (over 80% of the time), the letters we use to spell are determined by the sounds they usually make. In other words, to understand the alphabetic code and to be able to read efficiently, children must not only know their letters, but the sounds they make.
Phonological awareness skills and literacy – which skills are needed most?
The research evidence tells us that, for pre-schoolers who are going to school next year:
- phonological awareness activities should focus on the development of skills at the sound (phonemic) level (Brennan & Ireson, 1997);
- sound segmentation and blending skills, and recognising the relationships between letters and sounds, are more strongly related to later reading and spelling than syllable or rhyme awareness skills (Hulme, Goetz, Gooch, Adams, & Snowling, 2007);
- teaching letter knowledge and phoneme/sound awareness together may help both skills develop more efficiently than teaching the skills separately; and
- skills like rhyme awareness may develop with improvement in speech production – either naturally or with therapy – and through general language stimulation at home or in school (Gillon, 2005).
So, yes, by all means have fun with rhyming books, nursery rhymes and songs. But make some time to play with sounds with sound segmentation, blending and letter-sound activities and games.
Your speech pathologist can offer some suggestions, and help you design a phonological awareness program for your child, either in therapy or for you to deliver at home.
Related articles:
- Teaching the alphabet to your child? Here’s what you need to know
- Books with verbs to level up your child’s language development: 24 of the best
- More verb-charged books to ignite your child’s language development
- FAQ: 10 common speech errors patterns seen in children of 3-5 years of age – and when you should be concerned
- Which words should I teach first?
- Principles we follow when assessing a toddler’s language
- The age by which children normally learn different speech sounds
- “But he holded it and broked it and then he goed away!” Why do some children speak this way?
- Do kids learn to string sentences together by listening to baby talk?
Image and poem source: http://tinyurl.com/k3w4ost
Banter Speech & LanguageBanter Speech & Language is owned and managed by David Kinnane, a Hanen- and LSVT LOUD-certified speech-language pathologist with post-graduate training in the Spalding Method for literacy, the Lidcombe and Camperdown Programs for stuttering, and Voicecraft for voice disorders. David is also a Certified PESL Instructor for accent modification.
David holds a Master of Speech Language Pathology from the University of Sydney, where he was a Dean’s Scholar. David is a Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP).