Improvement of preschool children’s speech and language skills

Abstract

Many children in preschool have speech and language disorders and a poor communication development, and the need for support is extensive. The aim was to find out if and how reading aloud and storytelling could enhance children’s communication development, the study was interactionistic. Eleven municipal preschools with 23 child units (573 children) participated. A questionnaire containing 15 questions with 54 sub-items was answered on group level by the staff. The results showed that reading aloud and storytelling was used continuously, and the staff believed that the activity would help the children to develop their communication both regarding speech and development of concepts. But this is provided that the staff prioritize literacy in preschool and have knowledge about how to use reading aloud and storytelling to support children’s communication.