Preschoolers do better when they talk to themselves
Categories: Preschoolers, Development, In the news, Education
You know that annoying, yet adorable phase when kids talk to themselves and verbalize EVERY SINGLE flickering thought that crosses their little minds? Well, it turns out this non-stop self chitty chat does more than just slowly drive a parent bonkers, it actually helps preschoolers perform tasks better.
Researchers found that 78 percent of the children in their study performed either the same or better on a performance task when speaking to themselves than when they were silent.
The study also assessed the private speech in children with autism and found that high-functioning autistic children talk to themselves often and in the same ways that non-autistic children do. Talking aloud also improved their performance on tasks.
So the next time your youngster starts yammering on about the merits of blue crayons over yellow ones because the sky is blue and birds fly in the sky and airplanes! and kites! and cats! No, not cats, but cats on kites is funny! I wonder if the cat on a kite could see the Easter Bunny? remind yourself that allowing them to ramble on might be even more valuable the golden currency of silence and all too soon they'll be teenagers who stop talking at home altogether.
Thanks, Nicole!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ethel 4-09-2008 @ 3:08PM
Actually this is sort of an old news story, yeah the research article was just published but my family heard about it many months ago. One thing the researchers were saying on the radio was that free play allows children the time to actively talk and play that structured play does not allow. Essentially stay away from too much structured play for preschoolers as they need time to work on their executive functions, which are honed and polished with verbal talking things out.
Reply
Uly 4-11-2008 @ 9:21PM
That's the churn, apparently.
I've found, because I have one or two really special interests, that I read articles months or even YEARS later talking about "new discoveries" that weren't even new when I first read them!