Name: English in Early Childhood: Learning Language Through Play
Rating: 5.0 (21 reviews)

Learn ways to support language development through play

This two-week course looks at how children learn and the importance of play in early childhood and the role of play in language development. The course has been produced by the British Council, providers of high-quality English language courses in over 100 countries.

How children learn

You’ll hear from educational experts, early years educators and English teachers talking about how children learn language and how child development affects language development and what the implications are for teachers and other early years practitioners.

The importance of play

The course will show you how vital it is for children to play, and how play is a form of learning.

You’ll learn how to provide an enriching play experience for the children in your care as well as ways to develop language through play. You’ll consider common problems and concerns when young children are acquiring language and learn how you can help and support them.

This course is part of Learning English in Early Childhood Development ExpertTrack, featuring a series of courses that will help you explore early childhood development and how you can help very young children learn English as an additional language.

What topics will you cover?

How children learn - key aspects of childhood development.
How young children acquire language - exploring language development and what this means for children learning an additional language.
Learning through play - the benefits and importance of play.
Language development through play - create the right play environment to optimise learning.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Investigate how children learn and how they acquire language.
Discuss the importance and benefits of play.
Explore language development opportunities through play.

Who is the course for?

This course is for parents and practitioners who want to understand and assist young children in learning English as an additional language. It will suit you if you have an interest in early childhood development.

Who developed the course?

British Council

The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.

We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million people overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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