The Power of Narrating Daily Life for Children with Hearing Loss

Transforming Daily Moments into Language Learning Opportunities

Creating a language-rich environment should be one of your main goals when helping a child with hearing loss develop listening and spoken language skills. One way to do this is by narrating your life, talking your way through each moment, big and small, that you and your child encounter.

The idea of narrating your life takes patience and creativity, but it can truly make a lifelong impact on a child working to develop a strong foundation of communication. 

What Does It Mean to Narrate Your Life?

Narrating your life, also known as play-by-play or parallel talk, involves consistently talking about your actions, feelings and surroundings. For instance, while preparing breakfast, you might say, "I'm pouring the milk into the bowl," or "Look at the bright yellow bananas!" These narrations should be clear, concise and relevant to the child's current level of understanding. 

This practice can be demanding as the opportunities to utilize it are limitless. Whether you are driving in the car, walking through a supermarket or carrying out household chores, the possibility exists for you to narrate your life. Though it can seem daunting, the benefits are immense for a child with hearing loss who is working to develop his/her listening and spoken language. 

The Benefits of Daily Narration for Hearing Loss Development

Whether you are an educator or family member, narrating your life is an engaging and effective way to enrich a child's vocabulary, foster their listening skills and help them understand the nuances of spoken language. These descriptions provide your child with context and vocabulary, helping them to associate words with actions and objects in their everyday life.

When you articulate your thoughts and actions, you create a rich linguistic environment that stimulates auditory and cognitive development. This method also encourages the child to be an active participant in conversations by creating an understanding of social cues and language patterns.

CCHAT’s Innovative Approach to Language Development through Life Narration

CCHAT students who are deaf and hard of hearing are immersed in a language-rich academic program. This is carried out throughout the school day, whether the child is in class, speech therapy, music, recess or other school-wide activities.

CCHAT staff members consistently promote listening and spoken language development for students. In the classroom, all activities, from curriculum to snack, are described in a way befitting that age group. With low staff-to-student ratios, teachers and aides are able to personally engage each child so that they are building listening and communication skills throughout the day. While staff members narrate their own actions, children are given every opportunity to join the process and be active participants in each activity. 

Understanding the Long-Term Impact of a Language-Rich Environment on Children with Hearing Loss

According to Hearing First, research shows that children who hear 40 million words in the first four years of life develop early conversational skills and have more communication opportunities in the future. Narrating your life offers a powerful way to guide a child who is deaf or hard of hearing in their journey to learn listening and spoken language skills.

By weaving language into everyday experiences, you build an enriched auditory environment that supports communication development. This process can be demanding, and there will certainly be times when you don’t have the capacity to maximize every opportunity. Be sure to afford yourself some grace. However, in the end, efforts to narrate your life are laying the foundation for your child's future ability to connect with others and live a fulfilling life.