Making Use of Sensory Aids
In addition to verbal communication, there are a variety of other sensory tools that can be used to help a child understand what is happening.
Auditory Aids
Auditory tools allow a child who does not understand the spoken language to navigate their classroom environment confidently.
“Singing bowl, bell, triangle, etc.
These can be used to generally focus the attention on a educator or to indicate the beginning/end of a specific activity, such as morning circle or meal time.
Songs
When songs are used to accompany specific activities (I.e. tidying up, going outside, washing hands), it is important to make sure they are easy to differentiate from one another. Melody, pace, and rhythm can be recognized without understanding the words. In the very beginning, a child who does not understand the spoken languages must be able to rely on this audible information before learning the keywords repeated in the lyrics. Incorporating songs with the days of the week, months, weather, etc. also help children learn in an easy and fun way. ”