The Voice of the Child How to Listen Effectively to Young Children [Paperback]

If we want children to be successful, confident, independent learners, we need to relearn the skill of truly listening. The Voice of the Child builds on a number of theories which recognise the importance of interacting with, and listening, to the children in our care, and demonstrates how these can be put into practice - listening, communicating and hearing the voice of the child effectively.

The bookaddresses each phase of a childs development, from birth through to five years, and explains how communication skills can be used to support individual childrens specific needs. Chapters offer practical tips and strategies to help early years practitioners to listen and communicate in such a way as to encourage and enhance the development of a childs speech and language skills. With case studies and reflective questions included throughout, the book highlights the importance of listening to children in order to keep them safe, ensure they feel included in their community, and to promote their confidence and self-esteem.

The Voice of the Childis essential reading for early years practitioners and students, including those on Childhood Studies courses, who want to gain a clear understanding of how their own communication skills can impact on the child.

Acknowledgements  Introduction  Statement of Aims  Chapter 1: The Pedagogy of Listening  Chapter 2: Understanding the Stages of Development: Listening to Baby 0-12 months  Chapter 3 Development from 12 Months to 3 Years  Chapter 4: School Readiness: Speech and Language Development for 3- 5 Years Old  Chapter 5: Active Listening  Chapter 6: The Hundred Languages of Children: Listening to the Varied Voices of a Child  Chapter 7: The Childs Voice as the Participant in the Community  Chapter 8: Concluding Thoughts  Refel“Ü