Chatterboxes 2.71

Aims
Chatterboxes is a fun and interactive program to help foster language, play and early literacy skills. It aims to help children express themselves creatively and gain a greater understanding of the world through language. The program is organised and delivered by Karen O Driscoll, Speech and Language Therapist.

The program is run for 60 minutes over a 6 week block. Each block is different, and focuses on new aspects of language, and activities are based on natural seasonal changes (i.e. spring, summer) as well as holidays (i.e. Easter, Christmas). Children are encouraged to engage in talk and discussion, and listen carefully to each other’s contributions, ideas and interests to extend conversations. Activities will be completed as whole group activates as well as smaller groups activities.
Aims include:
1. Develop and foster understanding/comprehension through activities and games
2. Develop oral language skills in a structured and fun environment. The program aims to establish an atmosphere that encourages talk and discussion, and allows children to listen carefully to each other’s contributions, ideas and interests to extend conversations. Focusing on strengthening oral language skills such as negotiating, describing, offering ideas, advice and suggestions. Chatterboxes also aim to give children language used to describe feeling and emotions.
3. Story time and narrative development –re-telling events/stories, sequencing games, answering questions
4. Development of vocabulary through learning about the world- myself, my family, my friends and my home
5. Play and interaction skills – parallel play, cooperate and pretend play. Encouraging children to help each other during their activities play and routines and helping children share skills and knowledge with each other
6. Rhyme and sounds: Through fun interactive games and songs. Help to develop early letter and sound knowledge
Each session starts with a hello song, and ends with a goodbye song. This helps to orientate the children that it is time for ‘chatterboxes’.
Preschool program
The preschool program aims to strengthen and develop listening, oral language and phonological skills. The program is designed to encourage children to work together in pairs and groups, and thus develop greater ability to communicate, interact and negotiate with peers.

Junior Infants
The program for Junior Infants is different to the preschool program. The preschool program places a stronger emphasis on listening skills, and working together. The junior infants program while still working on listening and working together, focuses on narrative and Phonological skills more.

Both programs will allow for staff to be actively involved, which will enable staff to enhance their skills in the area of language development. Staff will be asked to get involved particularly when the children are divided into smaller groups to work co-operatively.
Each child will receive a ‘Chatterboxes’ folder which will store their work, and will contain a checklist of activities completed as well as a summary of each session. Children will take home a summary sheet each week which will summarise what was covered in the session.

Timing
Sessions will be broken into ‘times’ to signal the change of activities. Below is a sample of how a session may be broken down:
Session begin with a ‘hello song’
Rhyme time- 10 minutes
All about me- 15 minutes
Story time- 15 minutes
Play time or game time- 15-20 minutes
Sessions end with a ‘good-bye’ song