Using language to get to know and make friends

Children at age five enjoy using language to talk and share with friends. They also like telling stories and chat about things that happened in pre-school or during play activities. As they may not know the difference between what is real or fiction, they can also make up stories and tell them. They have mastered language and talk clearly and in adult like sentences.

Five years old children can grasp funny jokes and funny stories, which they repeat to others. Most importantly, they enjoy talking and chatting to others and telling their stories and comprehend a good number of new words in their vocabulary.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AND LOOK OUT FOR

• Share family time with your child and involve him/her in conversations about daily activities, likes and dislikes, new friends at pre-school, and other topics they can raise.

Notice your 5 years old is always willing to talk and to listen and can have very clear conversations.

• Provide as many opportunities to read or tell stories with your five years old, during fun times or by bedtime.

You will notice that he/she can tell a story using details and even re-create the story by adding new bits, using imagination, good vocabulary and grammar to include future tense in sentences.

• Teach your child how to use language in case of an emergency and let him/her know their full name and address.

Notice your child knows their home address and full name and that his/her parents also have a name besides ‘mummy’ & ‘daddy’.