The Missing Piece: Building Children’s Oral Language Skills to Fill in Learning Gaps

The Missing Piece:  Building Children’s Oral Language Skills to Fill in Learning Gaps

If you are providing great content-related lessons, but your early childhood students are still lagging behind in achievement, students’ language deficits might be keeping them from benefiting from instruction.  

In this professional development session, we will explore the critical role that oral language plays in shaping young children's overall learning experiences. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how language development influences cognitive, social, and academic growth and how it serves as the foundation for literacy skills and school readiness.

Through research-backed strategies and practical examples, we will discuss how oral language—such as vocabulary, sentence structure, and communication skills—supports not only literacy but also thinking and problem-solving abilities. The session will highlight the connection between oral language skills and later academic success and provide tools for fostering rich language environments in early childhood settings.

Key topics will…