The skills and strategies that contribute to the effective use of Talking and Listening include intereatcion skills, oral presentation skills and specific listening skills.  Talking and Listening is an area of English that is developed across all the Key Learning areas so that the students are encourage to interact productively with their peers, to speak confidently in class discussion and to listen to gain information.

Your grandchild has learned to talk and listen with your help and encouragement.  You can continue to support your grandchild’s language development at school by doing some of the following:
 
Actively listen and respond to your grandchild’s talk.

Encourage your grandchild to talk about their interests, friends, pets, favourite books and favourite movies.

Show your grandchild ways of talking for different purposes, e.g. using the telephone, inviting a friend to play, giving a message.

Encourage your grandchild to talk about television, video and radio programs.

Give your grandchild a series of instructions to follow.

Encourage your grandchild to give messages to other family members.

Encourage your grandchild to play a variety of games such as The Shopping Game (one child beings by saying “I went shopping and bought an apple”.  Each child has to remember what has been said before and add a new shopping item.)

Encourage your grandchild to talk about things they have made using blocks, plasticine, cardboard or junk material.

Encourage your grandchild to listen to stores being read by family members.

Have your grandchild listen to stores and retell them to friends and family.

Encourage your grandchild to talk about drawings, paintings, models that they bring home from school.

Encourage your grandchild to read a variety of books and to retell the story in their own words.

Encourage your grandchild to read a variety of factual texts and talk about the information presented in these texts.

Encourage your grandchild to talk about their imaginary play.

Encourage your grandchild to talk to known adults as well as to other children.

Plan and discuss family outings, e.g. going to the beach, park, friend’s place, movie, zoo, museum, art gallery, sports events.

Encourage your grandchild to discuss and debate issues in the news and newspapers.

Encourage your grandchild to ask questions to seek new information and gain understanding.