The ability of a child to express through oral expression is a very important skill that can be improved in early childhood education.
Often, oral expression is overlooked during these early phases, a lot of times we view spoken language as a skill that will improve itself through the years, however teaching preschool students about oral expression helps them obtain other abilities, such as social interaction and emotional expression.
Show and tell is a way to connect with children, from preparing it at home and having the investigation process with their parents to the moment they talk in front of their classmates, children are creating bonds through information.
This kind of activity does not only benefit the child who speaks, but it also benefits the ones listening. When we encourage students to pay attention and then ask questions related to the information the speaker provided, we teach active listening and empathy, very important skills when it comes to learning processes.
As a preschool teacher, I’ve found that sometimes as adults we deem show and tell as difficult activities, however, they are also a learning process. Maybe the first time the student won’t be able to say everything we wanted them to say, but taking the step to be in front of their classmates is a good first step. From CADI we celebrate the importance of show and tell as tools to learn oral expression, and listening skills and bond through experiences and information.
Luhelys Villamil
Academic Department
