What intimate interaction can help develop a child’s language skills?

Engaging in conversations and discussions about stories and experiences plays a crucial role in developing a child's language skills. This interactive approach provides opportunities for children to hear new vocabulary, practice speaking, and develop comprehension skills. Conversations allow children to express their thoughts and feelings, ask questions, and engage in reciprocal dialogue, which fosters language development.

When caregivers or educators interact with children about stories—asking them questions, encouraging them to predict what might happen next, or connecting the stories to their own experiences—children not only learn new words but also how to construct sentences and convey their ideas effectively. This type of intimate interaction greatly enriches the child’s understanding of language and supports cognitive development as well.

In contrast, engaging in competition with peers does not typically foster the same level of intimate language interaction and can often lead to stress rather than meaningful dialogue. Reading without interaction may expose children to vocabulary and sentence structure, but it misses the rich opportunities for discussion and engagement that stimulate deeper language learning. Similarly, practicing phonetic sounds without context lacks the relational and narrative elements that make language memorable and functional in everyday life.