Strong early language development shapes positive social skills

It may come as no surprise that strong early language skills predict positive social outcomes in preschoolers and new entrants. Below I share five characteristics of strong young communicators. Strong early communicators can:

1) Build relationships - Children with fluent language can introduce themselves, ask questions, make comments, generate rules for games and negotiate with peers. Through these acts they build friendships.

2) Regulate emotions - Children with strong language skills can name their feelings, self-regulate through talk and even notice and comment on how others are feeling. They are more likely to develop empathy for others.

3) Demonstrate social competence - Children with strong language skills learn to interpret, respond and advocate for their own ideas. They learn how to interact with a wide variety of people. They also learn social nuance, like  how communication with your friend might look different to communication with your mother or teacher or Nana.

4) Resolve conflict - Resolving conflict often requires children to take the perspective of others and learn how to listen to two sides of a problem. Children with strong language can take turns speaking and listening, can understand the rules, can see what is "fair" and can sometimes find compromise so that everyone gets some say in the outcome. 

5) Understand the culture and norms around them by noticing patterns, predicting outcomes and gaining new vocabulary. Sometimes culture and routines are acted out in play which further solidifies their understanding of the world around them.

Keep talking with your kids and helping them interpret the world - strong oral language and emotional regulation are huge predictors of their lifelong success.