Children are social learners.
Everything we learn starts with collaboration and relationships.
Children collaborate throughout their day.

Their emerging communication skills are built on this collaboration.
Through our daily conversations with our friends we share vocabulary and information.
The child participates in the dialogue by adding what they know and showing us what they can do.

Lulls in conversation are important.
When we wait through the lull, the child reveals their vocabulary, problem solving skills, or that the child is unsure of what to do next, and we now know where to guide them.

Morah Katie: What does the "A" say?

Moshe: A, apple.

Evan: Atmosphere.

Morah Katie: What does "T" say?

Moshe: Torah.

Evan: Taco.

Morah Katie: What does "C" say?

Evan: Cat.

Moshe: Cut.

Morah Katie: If we blend c a t, what do we get?

Eli: Cat.

Moshe and Evan were rolling dice and counting.  

Evan: It's difficult to write 5's.  And sometimes my 2's look like m's.

Morah Katie: I like to think of my 5's as having big belly's.

Evan: Hey, there is my best 5. With a belly.

Moshe: How did you and Evan get 12?

(Moshe had not rolled a 12 combo)

Morah Katie:  Evan rolled a  __ (I placed a 6) and a __ (I placed a 6).  Please count the buttons out.

Moshe: OOOOH.

Morah Eden: Zoey is using a lot of color.

Zoey: I am making a t-rex.

Morah Eden: Do t-rex's have little arms?

Zoey: (Pause) They do! I am going to paint the little arm.

Collaborative play stores up warm, relationship-building moments which build deep connections.

Children learn from each other in the same manner, collaboration and communication. 

Zoey and Evie worked together to clean a table after a shaving cream experience.

Zoey: I will do this side.

Evie: I am cleaning this side.

Zoey: Then we can go play at the playhouse.

 

Kenya needed the towel to dry her hands after washing her snack plate.

Brexton was just finishing drying his hands, he handed it to her.  He smiled. She smiled.

Zoey and Gwen played with the movable alphabet a day after they saw Evan, Moshe and Eli create with the letters.

They girls matched the letters and practiced naming them.

Hugo and Kenya collaborated and communicated pure joy through the spontaneous game of looking at each other through a tube.

Pretend-play and spontaneous self-directed play feeds both language development and knowledge.

Gwen: I need help. I want to be the doctor.
Evie: I can help you.  You need to put your arm in. Now you are the doctor.

Evie: We are having a dinner.

Evan: There are plates for everyone and the food is ready.

Moshe had been sitting a bit away from home living.  He asked to play with Evie and Evan. They did not hear him.  I suggested he walk closer and ask to join them. He walked to home living.

Moshe: Can I join you?

Evie: Yes, Moshe you can join us. We are having dinner. The baby is going to get soup.

Moshe: And we have all these forks and spoons to eat with.

Hugo: Moshe fix?

Moshe: Here Hugo, it's fixed.