Nursery World - Learning & Development: Communication - Part 6

Initiatives by Government and other agencies are encouraging communication, says Helen Moylett, in the final part of her Communication series.

We are halfway through 2011, the National Year of Communication, and the 'Hello' campaign is in full swing. It is a national response to concern about the numbers of children at risk of language delay, and all over the country practitioners are organising activities to highlight the importance of language and communication. This month's theme is 'Imagine life for those who struggle'.

Asking us to imagine asks something important. 'Hello' does not ask us to 'feel sorry for' or to 'give money to', nor even to 'improve things for' those who struggle, but to imagine life. Asking us to imagine someone else's life asks us to walk in their shoes, to identify with someone who maybe does not take for granted the things we do, and to understand where their actions and feelings come from. In other words, 'Hello' asks us to empathise.

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