Silence vs Narration

Silence is as important as narrating.

I’m headed into the woods to talk with families about how to use time in nature to nurture their toddlers speech and language skills. A quick google of the topic leads to dozens of pages describing the importance of narrating kids’ experiences and all the novelty they might experience.

I disagree.

Time in nature is a perfect opportunity to nurture the invisible and silent skills that help kids’ speech, language, and literacy skills. Four of these underlying skills are:

• Agency—the ability to make decisions that impact the world.

• Curiosity—the desire to learn and know

• Attention—the ability to maintain focus

• Listening—paying attention to all that can be heard

Each of these vital skills benefits from uninterrupted time to engage with the wonders of the natural world. So pause, and resist the urge to narrate every move you or your child makes. Instead, wait, listen, notice, and wonder. Trust them to learn from their own experiences and surprise you with the things they learn on their own. There is plenty of time to narrate their activities and your own. Today, take time to give yourself and your child the gift of silence.