Play: The Universal Language

In their book, From Play to Practice, Marcia Nell and Walter Drew shared these observations on play and language:

"People communicate ideas or information with others in a variety of ways.  Language is the most common tool used during this shared meaning-making process.  Sometimes, however, there are language barriers that hinder the process of communication, such as when people do not speak the same language or a person has special needs that limit the sharing of thoughts with others.  For children, play supplies a context to overcome these types of communication barriers.

"When children are learning a second language, they are actually acquiring two types of language.  The first type is called... cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP).  This is the language used in textbooks and classroom settings.  The second type, called basic interpersonal communication skills (BISC), is the language children use in social situations, such as on the playground or with their friends....  Play can aid in the acquisition of social language skills, which enables dual language learners to interact with their peers while they continue to acquire the academic language skills necessary for learning and participating in classroom activities.  During social play with peers, children surmount language barriers by using gestures or other nonverbal cues in order to continue the play.  It is play's intrinsic motivation that enables children who speak different languages to continue their play experiences and to share meaning."

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