An Introduction to Hanen Programs®:  
Involving Parents and Educators in Young Children’s Language Development

 

The Hanen Centre in Toronto, Canada supports and trains parents and educators in their efforts to help young children develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills. Based on a social interactionist model of language development, The Hanen Centre’s evidence-based programs and resources reflect a child-centred approach that can be implemented within everyday activities and conversations in home and preschool settings. Parents and educators learn strategies to support extended responsive and meaningful interactions and conversations with children that become the foundation for promoting language development. Hanen Programs address the needs of children identified with language delays, as well as those who may be at risk for language delay. This includes children are just starting to communicate as well as children who have more developed language skills. Hanen Programs draw extensively on what is known about how adults learn best, recognizing that the learner, rather than the trainer, has the most important role in the learning process. 

Voorjaar 2016 namen Lotty en Gerard, de ouders van Pepijn, deel aan het ouderprogramma 'Praten doe je met z'n tweeën'. Ter gelegenheid van dit congres blikken zij tijdens een interview terug aan de hand van de video-opnames die toen zijn gemaakt en vertellen zij over hun ervaringen. De opnames uit 2016 en de recente interview opnames zijn gemonteerd tot een uniek beeldverhaal dat u te zien krijgt.

 

The Hanen Program® for Promoting Language Development in Early Childhood Settings.
Janice Greenberg, Janice Greenberg, BSc, DSP, is logopedist en programmadirecteur van Leren praten met plezier – The Hanen Program.

 

This session will introduce Learning Language and Loving It™, an approach from The Hanen Centre that promotes language development during the natural everyday activities, routines and play that occur in early childhood education settings. Learning Language and Loving It aligns with a social pedagogical orientation to early childhood education and care that emphasizes a child-centred holistic approach focusing on play-based learning and positive relationships. With the belief that children are born to be learners with the ability to construct knowledge, the educator’s ability to follow children’s interests, needs and abilities and facilitate language learning naturally during meaningful, authentic conversations becomes paramount. However, it is not always easy to get powerful conversations like these going in a busy child care or kindergarten. Some educators may struggle with transitioning from being the deliverer of knowledge to being a con-constructor of knowledge with the children. In other situations, it may be difficult to engage children who are not easily drawn into a conversation. Learning Language and Loving It provides early childhood educators with practical strategies for helping all young children to build language, no matter what their learning and communication styles are, and even if they have special needs.