The ShREC approach: Four evidence informed strategies to promote high quality interactions with young children

Supporting children to become better communicators is one of the most powerful things we do as early years educators. Oral language skills are fundamental to children’s learning, thinking and emotional wellbeing. Children who can communicate well can make friends, play, resolve conflicts and tell us how they are feeling.

The evidence tells us that we should prioritise the development of children’s communication and language through socially-meaningful interactions. Children thrive on conversation and discussion with people they have a strong relationship with, focused on things they want to talk about.

As James Law and his colleagues found, these types of interactions ​‘optimise early development’ (Law et al, 2017).