When we hear the term Receptive Language, we assume that it’s a complicated process that means a lot of involvement from both the parent and the child. But, let’s clear this up for you. Receptive language is defined as the correct way and ability to understand words and language. This means understanding both written and spoken language.
It’s a communication skill that is very important to help grow, as this skill helps children understand and follow instructions, participate in activities and even help develop good social skills! Building cognitive skills is an integral part of early childhood development. Let’s do a deep dive into what this concept means to your little one, why it’s important and how you can help improve it.
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What Are Receptive Language Skills?
The definition of Receptive language skills, as mentioned above, is the ability to understand words and written and spoken language. Developing receptive language skills for kindergarteners involves the basic ability for the child to pick up language from their parents, through everything they do in their daily routines. Children at this age begin to learn to interpret what they hear as a way to understand what’s going on in everyone’s lives.
For kindergarteners who have difficulty in understanding what’s said to them orally (through words and speech), they might easily be able to pick up key words and get visual information from the environment around them, or even from gestures.
Examples Of Receptive Language Skills
There are different types of receptive skills for class 1 & 2 that children reach at different ages. Here are some examples of receptive language skills in early childhood:
- Understanding stories that are narrated to them
- Having a grip on conversations around them
- Being able to answer questions accurately
- Using correct tenses, verbs and other sentence connectors
- Knowing what type of a social situation they are in and being able to respond accurately
Importance Of Receptive Language Skills
Receptive language skills are important to communicate successfully. Without the concept of receptive language, it is not easy to communicate effectively. Children who have problems with receptive language can find following any sort of instruction a challenge, whether they are at home or at school. If a child is able to follow instructions, this is probably one of the best indicators of a child’s receptive speech and skills.
At school, good receptive language skills are an important element for kids to be able to understand lessons and engage in activities. If a child is struggling with receptive language, they may have some issues with listening or paying attention, which in turn can affect their behaviour and social skills.
Receptive Language Skills Vs Expressive Language Skills
We now know what receptive language skills refer to, where we receive information from the world around us. Let’s understand what expressive language skills are. Expressive language skills are known as skills that refer to spoken and sign language. Your little one may express themselves with words and gestures in this case. This involves creating sentences, building on the vocabulary and using grammar in the correct way,to be able to communicate better with others and describe events and actions.
This table will help understand all the difference between receptive and expressive language skills.
Receptive Language Skills | Expressive Language Skills |
Following simple verbal directions | Giving simple step-by-step directions |
Answering questions based on a picture or story | Choosing the right grammar forms (using correct tenses, etc.) |
Understanding the meaning behind vocabulary | Using vocabulary in actual conversations |
Making a prediction after looking at a picture or story | Using words in their correct order |
Receptive Language Disorder In Children
Children tend to develop language in a number of ways, and it usually develops over time. To develop expressive language skills, your child needs to work on developing their receptive language skills. They will also need to have the ability to be able to concentrate without getting distracted.
You will notice that problems with understanding language often begin before your little one turns three. There are many factors that can contribute to receptive language difficulties, some of them include hearing problems, limited exposure to a language being spoken or read out loud or even general learning disabilities.
While the symptoms may vary, children who have a receptive language disorder often have an expressive language disorder as well. This means that they will also have trouble with spoken language.
Here are a list of things you can look out for to see if a child is struggling with their receptive language skills. There are a few tell-tale signs that will help you recognise this and help your little one overcome them –
- See if they can follow instructions without any help fro man adult or even a child their age.
- Do they have problems when they speak?
- Are they repeating your questions instead of answering them?
- Does it look like they are ignoring your instructions?
- Do they often ask for help?
- Do they pay attention when they’re in a group?
If the answer is ‘Yes’ to any of these questions above, your child may need some extra help with their receptive language skills. The great news is that there’s a lot you can do to help, and help fast!
Activities To Help Children With Receptive Language Disorder
Before jumping straight into the types of activities that can help children with receptive language disorder, we thought it would help if we could tell you how to improve this condition –
- Eye contact is one way to make sure they understand you better.
- Simplification in terms of the language and instructions will help them know exactly what you’re saying.
- Visual aids help assist a child’s concentration and also helps them recall instructions.
- Books play a huge role in building interest. Use this to your advantage!
- Reducing background noise like muting the TV or switching off the cell phone can help with better engagement.
Now, let us look at some fun receptive language activities that can help improve your child’s receptive language skills –
1. Daily Activities
When you’re going to the market or visiting a place, make sure you encourage your little one to talk about what you did, what you saw, what you bought and even maybe draw whatever they remember of the time.
2. New Words
Get into activities that your child will really enjoy – games that have new words and phrases that they can learn.
3. Simon Says
Remember this game of old? We’ve all played it as kids, so we can now (finally!) appreciate how this can really help your little one follow instructions.
Here’s a tip: increase the length of your instructions gradually, and see them master this slowly!
4. Books
Okay, this one’s a no-brainier! Picture books are a great way to read a story, bong with your child and even improve these skills.
Ask questions when you’re done reading and them they point out what they’ve observed. Maybe you can even ask them for an alternate ending!
5. Obstacle Course
You can have an obstacle course at home, where you give directions and instructions to your little one to follow and reach the end. It’s fun and also a great way to teach your little one.
We hope this piece has helped you understand what this term is a little better, and has been able to offer help or support to make this easier to work with. Tell us what has helped you personally in the comments below!
Also Read:
Teaching Your Child How to Read
Sight Words for Kindergarten to Improve Language Skills
2 Letter Words for Preschoolers and Kindergartens to Learn
