non english speaker at play school

[JUICY ASHLEIGH]

hi all at my preschool were i work we have a little girl who ia cheinse and speaks no english at all i feel very soorry for her as her key worker dosent involve her in things then this child sits on the side n watches as i play etc with my key children so i would like ta find some information so i can involve her i thought about cultrul insrtuments but id like ta get some pictures etgc so she can point ta what she wants as wen she needs toilet the key worker doest really no wen she wants ta go so child as accidnts wen the child is wiggling thats her way of say toilet but the parents speak no english either n i dont want thiks child ta fill left out etc if any one as any ideas etc i would grate fully b apprechatied

[Ruthierhyme]

Hi, you need some image tags so you can ask parents/grandparents the word and pronuciation for things - write both language words on the tag and start slow ..

Toilet
Drink - water, milk
Wash hands
Foods - Fruit & veg: apple, banana, cucumber, bread, rice, pasta.
Doll
Crayons
Play house
Jigsaw
Sand play
Threading
Ring o ring o roses
A Boat, car, tractor, animal & bird names - duck, horse, dog, cat, mouse.

Do you have picture/story books without text as well as with?

Smiling, welcoming, offering/showing and gentle clapping rhymes are good ways to begin inviting her participation.
As she becomes more confident her language to you will start to flow, don't worry if you can't understand and try not to look concerned that you don't understand, maybe have a question mark tag card or 'we'll ask mum/dad' card to show so that you both know it's something you'll find out about together when your able to.

Do you tell her your name often & maybe have it written on a tag/clothing label for her to see & say?

You've highlighted a flaw that's closely linked to the key person system. Is it possible you can involve yourself with undesignated children or maybe come to some arrangement about building a relationship with this little one?

If the parents english is limited can you also find out what support or translation services are involved/available to you all?

hugs for taking the initiative xx

[Kathie]

We have just had a little 2yr old german boy at our setting and got hold of our equality and diversity team who helped. You should hopefully have something similar, get in touch with your early years advisor they should be able to put you in the right direction. Other than that we used lots of pictures, makaton is also useful and lots of positive body language good luck

[ray]

you can also get books written in english and chinese with "talking pens" that read the book for you. Having it in dual languages means the parents can read the books at home in the home language. I have several non english speaking children in my room and I have picture signs up every where. Photos on the front of all toy boxes. We also have some boards that the parents have recorded a short message to their child that we can play to them if they are upset. Got most of these ideas from our local Childrens Centre.Our parents have written down some words in their home language too. There are some websites that translate for you simple words and you can listen to the words so you pronounce it properly

[joshie]

Originally Posted by ray

you can also get books written in english and chinese with "talking pens" that read the book for you. Having it in dual languages means the parents can read the books at home in the home language. I have several non english speaking children in my room and I have picture signs up every where. Photos on the front of all toy boxes. We also have some boards that the parents have recorded a short message to their child that we can play to them if they are upset. Got most of these ideas from our local Childrens Centre.Our parents have written down some words in their home language too. There are some websites that translate for you simple words and you can listen to the words so you pronounce it properly

Fab ideas, will use these myself, its great that you are really encouraging parents to get involved too!!

[Blackcurrant]

We have a non english speaking child in our setting and he gets on great with the other kids, we make sure that he is aware of everything that is going on and use alot of visual aids to help him.
The parents and all keyworkers have to be involved in this type of situation for the childs welfare.
Children are great at adapting to new situations and if they feel comfortable and settled in their new setting then the language barrier begins to break down very quickly.