Source: Early Childhood Ireland, August 11, 2023
Talk-rich environments, where heritage languages are used alongside English, help to promote multilingual children’s understanding of language and literacy more generally.
Storytelling and interactive engagement with picture books can support language and literacy development in multiple languages, while creating imaginary worlds where different languages and cultures co-exist. Narrative plays a significant role in individual expression, mutual understanding, and socialisation. Oral storytelling, written narratives, and visual narratives, especially in children’s literature, offer rich opportunities for language acquisition, literacy development, and exposure to linguistic diversity.