Nursery World - Learning & Development: Two-year-olds: Part 11- So to speak

Almost every early years setting has children who speak languages other than English at home. But what approaches can practitioners use to best support multilingual learning? Penny Tassoni reports.

Twenty years ago, most children in early years settings - with the exception of London and some other large cities - were monolingual. Today, most early years settings are likely to have children who speak a language other than English with their parents. So how do two-year-olds learn more than one language and how can we best support them to develop strong communication skills?

The starting point when looking at children who have the opportunity to learn multiple languages is to view it as a cause for celebration. These children are very lucky and they should in no way be seen as a 'problem'.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included