Many young children who meet a new language at preschool go through a silent or nonverbal period, often lasting from a few weeks to several months, in which they listen, watch and communicate with gestures while saying little or nothing in the new language. It is a normal and active stage of learning, not a sign that the child is failing, and the best support is warm, predictable interaction without pressure to speak.
This article draws on the stages described by Patton Tabors in her study of young children learning English in a preschool, explains what is happening during the quiet weeks, sets out classroom strategies that help, and describes the signs that suggest something more than a silent period, so that teachers can reassure families confidently and also know when to look further.
The four stages teachers commonly see
In her book on young children learning English as a second language, first published in 1997, Patton Tabors described a sequence she observed among preschoolers. Not every child shows every stage, and stages overlap, but the sequence is a useful map.
- Home language use. Some children at first continue to speak their home language at school, as if expecting to be understood. When it becomes clear that others do not respond, most stop.
- Nonverbal period. The child stops speaking in the classroom for a time and communicates through pointing, facial expressions, crying, laughing and gestures, while listening intently and gathering information about the new language.
- Telegraphic and formulaic speech. The child starts using single words, short phrases and ready-made chunks such as "my turn", "look at this" or "I don't know", often with surprising accuracy because they are learned whole.
- Productive language use. The child begins to build her own sentences, making the creative errors that show she is working out the rules, such as "I goed" or "two mouses".
Tabors's observations were made among children learning English in a US preschool, but teachers in Vietnamese bilingual settings recognise the same pattern in children meeting English, in international children meeting Vietnamese, and sometimes in children meeting both school languages at once.
What children are doing while they are quiet
From the outside a silent child can look passive. From the inside, she is working hard. She is learning which sounds belong to the new language, noticing how routines are signalled, linking repeated phrases to what happens next, and figuring out who will help her. Researchers often describe this as a period of building receptive language, the ability to understand, which in young learners usually runs well ahead of what they can produce.
Children also use this time to observe the social rules of the room. A young child who cannot yet join play with words may watch a group for a long time before trying to enter with a gesture or an action, such as offering a block. Teachers sometimes notice that a child who has said nothing in English for six weeks suddenly follows a complex instruction perfectly, which shows how much has been absorbed.
Temperament matters a great deal. Some children are risk-takers who start using new words almost immediately, mispronounced and mixed, and others prefer to wait until they feel sure. Both are healthy routes. A cautious child pushed to speak before she is ready may become more anxious and quieter, which is the opposite of the intended effect.
How long it lasts, and why it varies
There is no fixed length for a silent period, and teachers should be wary of any rule of thumb that gives one. It depends on the child's age and temperament, how different the new language is from her home language, how much she hears it, how secure she feels in the classroom, and whether there are other children or adults who share her home language. Some children are quiet for a few weeks; others for several months.
Age plays a complicated role. Very young toddlers in a new language may not show a distinct silent period at all, because they are at an early stage of speech in every language and simply build words in whichever language they hear. Older preschoolers, who already speak their home language fluently, are more aware of being unable to express themselves and may go quieter for longer.
What teachers should look for is movement rather than a deadline. Is the child understanding more each week? Is she participating in routines, following instructions and joining play nonverbally? Is she starting to use a few words or chunks, even in quiet moments with a trusted adult? Steady movement on these signs is reassuring, even if spoken language in the new language is slow to appear.
Classroom strategies that help
Keep routines predictable. A consistent sequence of the day, with the same songs and phrases at each transition, gives a quiet child a framework she can follow and eventually join. Predictability lowers anxiety and makes language easier to decode.
Talk about what is happening. Self-talk, where the teacher narrates what she is doing, and parallel talk, where she narrates what the child is doing, provide language linked directly to the moment without asking the child to reply.
Accept every form of response. A nod, a point, a smile or an action counts as communication. Respond to it warmly and supply the words: "You want the blue one. Here is the blue one."
Ask questions the child can answer without words. Choices between two objects, yes-or-no questions and invitations to show rather than tell let the child participate before she is ready to speak.
Pair her with a friendly peer. A buddy who is confident in the classroom language, and ideally kind and patient by temperament, gives the child a model and a social bridge into play.
Comfort in the language she knows. When she is upset, a familiar word or phrase in her home language, learned from the family, can make the classroom feel safe enough to keep learning.
A first-month plan for a child who does not yet share the classroom language
When a child joins without either school language, the first month shapes how quickly she feels safe enough to learn. Before her first day, the team gathers a few essentials from the family: what she is called at home, how she asks for the toilet, water and food, what comforts her, and which songs or games she loves. One adult is named as her key person for the first weeks, so that she has a predictable face to return to.
In the first week, the key person stays close at arrivals, meals and rest, uses the child's comfort words when needed and narrates the routine in the classroom language with lots of gesture. The aim is not language yet but trust. In the second and third weeks, the key person begins to step back during play while staying within sight, introduces a friendly peer and starts offering simple choices that can be answered by pointing. By the fourth week, most children are following the routine with confidence, even if they are still silent, and the team can review what she understands and adjust support.
Throughout the month, the key person keeps brief notes and shares them with the family, so that small signs of progress are seen and celebrated on both sides.
Seeding useful chunks for the formulaic stage
The move from silence to speech often happens through formulas, ready-made phrases that the child learns as single units. Teachers can make this stage easier by deliberately using a small set of high-value chunks again and again in natural contexts, so that children have something powerful to say as soon as they are ready.
Useful chunks are the ones that let a child get things done socially: "Can I play?", "My turn", "Your turn", "Help me, please", "I don't want to", "Look at this", "I finished", "Stop, please". In a Vietnamese–English classroom, the Vietnamese equivalents matter just as much for international children: "con muốn", "cho con với", "xong rồi". Teachers who model these chunks during play, and accept them warmly the first time a child tries one, often see children move quickly from one or two formulas to many.
Songs and rhymes play a similar role. A child who will not speak may sing along with the morning song long before she says a word on her own, because singing in a group carries less personal risk. Teachers should celebrate this quietly rather than drawing attention to it, which can make some children stop.
When quiet may mean something else
A silent period in a new language is normal. Some patterns, however, suggest that something else may be going on and deserve a conversation with the family. The most important question is whether the child is developing well in her home language. If parents report that she talks freely at home in her first language, a quiet period at school is very likely to be part of second language learning. If she is also quiet or delayed in her home language, the situation is different.
Other signs to note include: little response to sound or to her name, difficulty following simple routines even after many weeks, very limited play or interest in other children, or extreme distress that does not ease with time. A child who speaks freely at home but consistently cannot speak at school, even in her home language and with familiar adults, may be showing anxiety rather than language learning; selective mutism is a recognised anxiety-related condition that benefits from specialist advice.
None of these signs is for teachers to diagnose. They are reasons to share observations with the family, ask about development at home, and suggest assessment by a qualified professional who can take both languages into account. Research is clear that bilingualism itself does not cause language disorders, so a bilingual child with real difficulties should be assessed rather than told to wait for her English to catch up.
Talking with families about the quiet weeks
Parents can find a silent period distressing. Some worry that their child is unhappy; others worry that the school is not teaching enough English, or that their investment is not working. A short, early conversation can prevent much of this. Explain that a quiet stage is common and active, describe what you are seeing the child understand and do, and share a concrete example, such as following an instruction or joining a song.
Families can help by keeping the home language rich, reading and talking with the child in the language they speak best, and avoiding drilling the child in English at home or asking her to perform words for relatives. Pressure to speak tends to lengthen a silent period rather than shorten it.
Agree on how you will keep in touch, for example a brief note every week or two about what the child is understanding and how she is participating. When the first words appear, families are usually the first to hear them, often at home in a pretend game. Inviting parents to share those moments with the class teacher builds the partnership that will carry the child through the rest of her bilingual journey.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
What is the silent period in second language learning?
It is a stage in which a young child exposed to a new language at school listens and communicates mainly through gestures and actions, saying little or nothing in the new language while building understanding. It is common and normal in early childhood.
How long does a silent period last?
It varies widely, from a few weeks to several months, depending on age, temperament, exposure, the difference between languages and how secure the child feels. Teachers look for steady progress in understanding and participation rather than a fixed deadline.
Should teachers encourage a silent child to speak?
Gently, without pressure. Teachers talk about what is happening, accept gestures and actions as answers, offer choices the child can point to, and model useful phrases. Direct pressure to speak tends to increase anxiety and lengthen the quiet stage.
Who described the stages of second language learning in preschool?
Patton Tabors described a sequence in her study of young children learning English in a preschool: home language use, a nonverbal period, telegraphic and formulaic speech, and productive language use. Children vary in how clearly they show each stage.
When should a quiet child be assessed?
When the child is also quiet or delayed in her home language, does not respond to sound or her name, struggles with simple routines after many weeks, or speaks freely at home but cannot speak at school at all. Teachers share observations and suggest a qualified assessment.
Can parents shorten the silent period by drilling English at home?
Usually not. Drilling and asking the child to perform words can add pressure and lengthen the quiet stage. Rich talk and reading in the language parents speak best is more helpful, while school provides the new language.