At Childcare & Education Expo London 2026, the UK’s leading early years event, Michael Rosen,author and former Children’s Laureate, took to the Main Stage to deliver a powerful reminder of what learning in the early years sector should feel like: joyful, physical and vocal. Michael Rosen's central message was simple but inspiring for those working in early years settings - children learn language best when they experience it, not when they are taught it.
Approaches to teaching language in early years education often emphasise the importance of spoken language, particularly through storytelling and poetry. In the seminar, Rosen established how oral storytelling and poetry can bring life to education, offering children what he described as “portable language”. In other words, children carry chunks of rhythm, rhyme and meaning with them long after the moment has passed.
How Oral Language Brings Learning to Life in Early Years Settings
Rosen first emphasised that young children live in an oral world. Before children are introduced to reading and writing, they experience the world, and language, through interaction, voice, tone and repetition. For nurseries, this means that practitioners and leaders must prioritise spoken language as the foundation for all learning.
Rosen demonstrated this through his poem These are the Hands in which the audience learnt the poem through call-and-response, actions and repetition. Rosen’s point was that children learn poetry not by studying and decoding the text, but by feeling the rhythm and movement of language.
His approach shows that rather than oral language being a stepping stone to literacy, oral language is literacy in its most powerful and earliest form. Poetry, when taught through oral repetition and participation, becomes a memorable and meaningful tool for young children.
Key features of Rosen’s oral approach include:
- Learning through voice, rhythm and repetition rather than written text
- Active participation such as call-and-response between adult and child
- Use of movement and gesture to reinforce meaning
- Emphasis on performance and shared experience rather than individual reading
- Building memory and confidence through spoken language
Why Rhythm and Rhyme Make Learning Stick in Early Years Education
One of the most important takeaways from Rosen’s session was the role of rhythm and rhyme in memory. He explained that language has pattern, music and predictability, which helps children to memorise words.
When language has internal rhyme and repetition it becomes memorable. In nurseries, children are more likely to retain vocabulary when it is embedded in humour and rhythm. Rosen proves that happiness is central to learning; rather than separating learning from enjoyment, we must embrace it.
Playful Language and Education Inspiration
Rosen highlighted the appeal of tongue twisters and playful sound patterns through his poem The Button Bop. Every day, children are often exposed to language they don’t fully understand, but they can pick up on the tone and rhythm of the vocabulary and start to form a meaning.
Rosen instructed the audience to practice the tongue twister with gestures, helping to reinforce the connection between sound, movement and memory;it is a reminder that education inspiration often comes from play. Playful language helps children focus on the musicality of vocabulary whilst enhancing their listening and enjoyment of words.
Even though children may not fully comprehend language, by engaging with the sound of words, theycan connect it to playful imagery.
Bridging Speech and Writing: Oral Language in EYFS Environments
Rosen discussed a key challenge in early years settings: children’s transition from spoken to written language. Many children arrive to nurseries fluent in speech but may feel disconnected when introduced to formal written structures.
Rosen offered his solution: bridge the gap through poetry and performance. His idea of “oral writing” allows for written poems to retain the playful imagery of the spoken language that children use. By encouraging children to create lines orally, then write them, children will see writing as recorded speech.
This will help children to smoothly transition from the language they know, to the language they are learning.
Building Empathy Through Storytelling and Dramatic Play in Early Years Education
A memorable part of Rosen’s seminar was his focus on empathy. Using his most famous novel, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, he encouraged educators and leaders to explore ambiguity.
Instead of giving children fixed answers, they should instead be encouraged to ask questions such as: What is the bear thinking? How does the bear feel?
By becoming the bear and speaking in the first person, children develop emotional understanding. For children, storytelling should not be passive listening, it should be emotional exploration. In nurseries, children should be invited to inhabit different perspectives and participate in narrative creation to further their emotional intelligence.
Embracing Ambiguity: What Early Years Practitioners and Leaders Can Learn
Throughout, Rosen encouraged practitioners not to rush to explain everything, instead educators must allow space for interpretation.
Children’s responses to stories can provide surprising insights that when explored, show evidence of deep emotional engagement.
For leaders, this means prioritising open-ended discussion over definite answers.
Practical Strategies for Early Years Settings: Bringing Michael Rosen's Ideas to Life
Rosen’s seminar can be translated into powerful strategies in everyday practice:
- Use oral repetition and actions to teach poems and songs
- Encourage children to create their own lines
- Prioritise spoken storytelling before writing
- Use play to explore character’s feelings
- Embrace humour and nonsense language
- Allow children to share their interpretations to shape discussion and learning
By implementing these strategies, settings can ensure learning is active and joyful.
Final Reflections
Michael Rosen’s session at Childcare & Education Expo London gave a clear message for all working in early years settings: learning comes alive when children are active, not passive.
By using rhythm, rhyme and oral language, children simultaneously develop their confidence and vocabulary skills.
For leaders and practitioners, the goal is to protect oral and playful learning. As Michael Rosen proved, when language is alive, so is learning.
FAQ
Why is oral language so important in education?
Before children learn how to read and write, they understand the world through interaction, listening and speaking. Oral language is the foundation for all future communication and literacy for children. Strong spoken language skills support confidence, comprehension and development.
How can poetry support EYFSdevelopment?
Poetry supports EYFS development by helping children develop language, vocabulary and listening skills through rhythm, rhyme and repetition.Poetry can help build confidence, creativityand communication skillsin an engaging way.When combined with actions, words are easier to remember.
Should practitioners always explain stories to children?
Not always. Allowingspace for children to interpret stories is vital. Children will often respond in creative ways when theyare given the space to explore their imagination.
