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Guest Essay 02/02/2025

Communication: the gateway to the world  

Author: Emily Jones, Professor, Centre for Brain & Cognitive Development; Birkbeck, University of London, UK

The transformative feats achieved by the human race – such as space flight, writing great book or communicating across oceans and continents – are founded on the human ability to communicate. Beyond science, great art, literature and music emerge from our drive to share our inner worlds with other people and the everyday interactions between people that form the fabric of society.

The human drive to communicate begins at the start of life: even babies in the womb can learn to recognise their parent’s patterns of speech, and the familiar rhythms provide comfort and connection when they emerge into the world. From the moment they are born, babies are active partners in the communicative dance with those who are close to them. Emotions are the first inner experiences that babies communicate – babies cry when they are hungry or tired, and in their first months learn to smile and laugh, to the delight of their parents and friends. Through trial and error, parents gradually learn to tune into and respond to their child’s cues; in turn, teaching their child that their inner world can be shared in a safe and loving space.

Children have an innate drive to connect and communicate, but they can only learn language through interacting with the people around them. The early development of spoken communication begins with the parent or caregiver. A caregiver following their child’s attention to a toy and naming it, reading a favourite book together or narrating and naming the child’s feelings and experiences gives a child the structured input required to start their language learning journey. Parents naturally adapt their communication style to their child’s abilities and interests, repeating key words or exaggerating key sounds; singing favourite nursery rhymes; and combining words and gestures to help understanding. These are just a few examples: cross cultural studies teach us that there are rich and varied ways into communication, and many ways for parents to support their child’s learning and development.

Whilst spoken language is vitally important, children’s communication extends far beyond words – gesture, play, music, art all allow rich exchange of ideas, information and feelings between social partners. Providing children with the opportunity to express themselves through access to art materials, drama, musical instruments, or physical play enriches their ability to share their thoughts and feelings and their imaginative inner world with those who love them.

Communicating with others is not just about sharing our thoughts and feelings but also learning to listen to the thoughts and feelings of others. Children learn to listen through experiencing others as trustworthy sources of information, and through learning that other people have their own thoughts, feelings and goals that are of value to them. Empathy for others and the ability to take other perspectives are both key foundation for active listening, and skills that develop through listening to other people. Supporting children to share, take turns and cooperate are all key foundations that motivate children to learn to listen, a journey that continues through the lifespan.

Through their experiences in the protected bubble of early childhood, many children know thousands of words by the time they go to school. They can tell stories, describe their experiences and begin to form the friendships that will build their social network far beyond their family home. However, children from backgrounds where parents lack time, money and social support are often exposed to a lower number and variety of words, making it harder to learn language. Other children may struggle to develop a means of expressing themselves, which can cause huge frustration. Exploring and valuing alternate modes of communication allows children with a diverse range of needs and skills to create shared understanding with the people around them.

Individually, we can only explore a tiny fraction of the world’s riches. Through communication, we can become explorers in the infinite world stored and created in the minds of others; to give our children the gift of communication is thus to show them the world.