Orson chats at lunch time

One year old Orson is having lunch with his Mum. They chat as they eat and Orson uses lots of verbalisations, gestures and body language to make himself understood.

Good for looking at

• Meal times
• Communication and language
• Understanding
• Speech
• Conversations
• Fine motor development
• Gestures
• Pointing

One year old Orson is having lunch with his Mum. They chat as they eat.

Notice

• How does Orson make himself understood?  (Look out for non-verbal, facial expressions and body language as well as spoken language)
• What does Orson understand?
• How is Orson learning? Which areas of development, engagement and characteristics of learning can you observe?
• How does Mum support Orson?

Reflect

What are your thoughts about:

• What was Orson was trying to communicate?
• What communication skills did he use to be understood and get what he needed?
• The role of the adult in this interaction – how did she support Orson?
• The value of this type of relaxed conversation at lunch time for Orson?

Respond

What would you do to:

• Support Orson’s communication skills?
• Encourage other Orson to engage in conversations at other times of the day?
• Model conversational behaviours for young children at meal times?

What next:

• Do you need to encourage more of this kind of conversation for the children in your setting? Do you allow enough relaxed time for conversations like this?