Conversational and Discourse Skills
The ability to engage in back-and-forth conversations, take turns speaking and listening, stay on topic, and participate effectively in discussions with peers and adults.
What the research says
Framework evidence being indexed.
Full quotes, source languages, and document links coming soon as we finish the source-evidence indexing pass.
Normative evidence
1 source back this milestone. The bars below show the age range each source covers.
Prerequisites
Foundational skill — no prerequisites indexed.
What mastery looks like
Limited conversational engagement
- Does not respond to conversational bids
- Speaks at others rather than with them
- Cannot maintain topic
- Does not take turns
Participates in simple exchanges
- Responds to direct questions
- Takes turns in structured activities
- Maintains topic for 2-3 exchanges
- Initiates simple conversations
Engages in extended conversations
- Maintains topic through multiple turns
- Asks and answers questions
- Adds relevant information
- Listens and responds appropriately
- Participates in small group discussions
Skilled conversationalist
- Engages in sustained, complex conversations
- Builds on others' ideas
- Uses conversational repair strategies
- Adapts communication for different partners
- Facilitates peer conversations
Sophisticated discourse participant
- Leads and facilitates group discussions
- Uses discourse for collaborative problem-solving
- Recognizes and responds to conversational nuances
- Engages in academic discourse
- Bridges communication across diverse participants
Related activities
No activities directly mapped to this yet. These are age and domain-appropriate alternatives.
Run and Fun — Zooming Around Together
Parent and preschooler play a running game outdoors or in a large indoor space. Agent coaches parent to observe running coordination, balance, speed control, and body awareness through a series of playful challenges like 'run to the tree' and 'freeze like a statue.'
Kitchen Helper Adventure
Treasure Hunt Focus Fun
A playful treasure hunt that helps your child practice focusing attention, ignoring distractions, and shifting attention between clues.
Kitchen Band Exploration
Treasure Hunt Challenge
A fun scavenger hunt where your child plans and executes actions to find hidden treasures, practicing goal-directed behavior through playful problem-solving.
Treasure Hunt Thinking
A playful treasure hunt where children practice using self-talk to guide their search and problem-solving
Formal assessments
No matching assessment items indexed yet.
Standardised assessment view
1 instrument measure this construct. The construct page shows how each one approaches it and at what age range.
View as assessment construct →