How do you react when a child uses a language you don't understand?
For many educators this moment can feel uneasy. Do you direct them to another educator who speaks their language? Translate? Move the interaction into English?
In this case study, I focus on how the Respond strategy of the ShREC approach is helpful in this situation. Attuned responses are powerful, especially for children growing up multilingual.
This strategy is grounded in research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2021), which highlights how high-quality adult-child interaction is central to language development.
Aditah telling her friends about Bangladesh
Aditah has just returned from visiting family in Bangladesh. While drawing with a group of friends, she recounts her holiday in fluent Bangla. She gestures animatedly, counting as she sketches eggs and baby chicks in the grass.
Aditah is bursting with happiness on seeing her key person, Alex. She waits eagerly to share her stories while Alex is busy with other children. Aditah picks up a vivid green pastel and draws long strands of grass with circles dotted amongst them. She counts them one by one:
“Ek, Dui, Thin, Char.”
Her friends count with her, excited to have her back.
Aditah’s confidence to narrate in Bangla indicates that she is secure in her identity and using her home language.
Aditah’s and Alex’s conversation: words and gestures
Aditah shares stories of her holiday in fluent Bangla. Alex notices Aditah’s facial expressions and leans over to look at her drawing.
Alex: “Ohh I see” - she points to the circles along with Aditah and pauses, looking at her expectantly.
Aditah: “Ḍima thēkē bāccāgulō bēra haẏēchē, āmi tādēra tāṛā karachilāma.”
(The babies came out of the eggs)
Alex: “You’re pointing to the circles. I can see there is something funny about your eggs.” Alex smiles expectantly.
Aditah: “Āmāra nanī bāccāgulōkē pātāẏa ḍhukiẏē dila. Kintu tārā khuba druta chila.”
(My nani put the babies onto the leaves, but they were very fast.) Aditah moves her hands forwards and backwards, laughing.
Alex: “Aditah, you're showing me the babies ... the circles are the baby chicks!”
Alex pauses for up to 10 seconds, and continues to lean towards Aditah, fully engaged with her.
Aditah: “Yes bāccārā.”
Alex: “The babies are running, they’re very fast.” Alex uses gestures to show the baby chicks’ quick movements.
Why Alex’s responses work well: a multimodal approach
Alex responds to Aditah using what is sometimes referred to as an ‘multimodal approach’ or multimodality: she does not rely on the spoken word. This allows her to tune into Aditah using various means of communicating: a combination of words, signs and symbols. Alex responds to what she thinks Aditah is saying. She labels her drawing and gestures to communicate her response. This multimodality strengthens her connection with Aditah, making it irrelevant (in this conversation) that she does not speak Bangla.
Though Alex did not get someone to translate, she and Aditah had a high quality back and forth conversation. Aditah was confident that Alex was attuned to her and following her interactions. Alex’s professional knowledge and relationship with Aditah enabled this. These qualities are invaluable when communicating with a child, especially one who is multilingual.
As Julian Grenier (2025) writes:
‘What makes the biggest difference to a child’s early education? It’s not just resources or the learning environment - it’s the knowledge, practice, and decisions of educators themselves.’ (EEF)
Approaches such as ShREC rely on the expertise of the educator for their success.
So what?
In our experience at Sheringham Nursery School, when multilingual children experience attuned responses, they are more likely to:
- Take conversational risks
- Sustain shared thinking
- Engage more deeply in play
- Build secure relationships
It is clear from Alex’s work with Aditah that responding is not about having an exact understanding of what the child says. Rather, Alex tuned into Aditah’s interactions and made successful responses: ones that elicited further communication from Aditah.
A child’s fluency in their home language is foundational to their cognitive development and language attainment. When adults respond positively to a child’s home language, they are strengthening their overall language development. They are not slowing down their English acquisition.
My message is simple: how we respond matters more than the language we are using.
Questions for reflection:
- Do you refer a child to another educator if they speak their home language with you? Might you try doing it differently next time?
- Can you think of some gestures to use when a child speaks to you in their home language?
Want to know more?
Fliss James (2025) explains how educators can use the ShREC approach to engage young children in high-quality interactions (EEF).
Education Endowment Foundation (2021) Early Years Toolkit. London: Education Endowment Foundation.