Language development in daycare doesn't just happen during story time or planned activities. Children also develop their language skills while playing, eating, singing, and interacting with other children and adults. That's why many everyday situations are relevant for language development in young children.
In Switzerland too, early language support is currently receiving increased attention. In September 2026, the national Buchstart programme and a new model for early language support in the canton of Schaffhausen came into focus. We show you what language support can look like in daycare life and how parents can support language development at home.
What does language support in daycare mean?
Language support doesn't mean that young children learn language the way they would at school. Instead, daily life at a daycare creates countless situations in which children can listen, discover new words, and communicate themselves.
Caregivers can consciously make use of such situations. For example, they name objects and actions, ask questions, or accompany shared activities with language. Songs, rhymes, stories, and picture books also create opportunities to experience language.
Early language support is therefore part of everyday life and can be woven into a wide range of activities.
Why is language support important for young children?
Children develop their language skills gradually and at their own pace. They learn language mainly through interaction with other people.
Conversations, playing together, storytelling, and reading aloud give children the chance to discover new words and ways of expressing themselves. Early experiences with stories, conversations, and picture books can also lay important foundations for further language and reading development.
What matters here isn't a single activity. Rather, it's the many language experiences that add up over the course of the day.
How does language support work in daycare life?
Language support in daycare can be woven into many everyday situations:
While getting dressed, clothing items and actions can be named.
During meals, conversations arise about food, taste, or experiences.
While playing, caregivers can put actions into words.
Songs and rhymes combine language with rhythm and repetition.
Picture books and stories create opportunities for conversation.
Through interaction with other children, children experience different forms of communication.
In this way, language isn't practised in isolation but embedded in situations that children can immediately understand. For children to get to know these everyday situations, a good start at daycare is also important. In our guide on settling in at daycare, you can find out how this first phase can unfold.
What role do books and reading aloud play in language support?
Looking at and reading books together creates many opportunities for language exchange. Children can look at pictures, name objects, ask questions, or retell stories in their own words.
A current Swiss example is the national Buchstart programme. It was initiated by Bibliomedia Schweiz and the Swiss Institute for Child and Youth Media (SIKJM). The programme supports early language and reading development and is aimed at families with young children.
In September 2026, a new Buchstart gift book was published. The materials aim to give parents ideas on how to accompany children with books and language in everyday life. The offer also takes multilingualism into account: according to Bibliomedia, the text of the current book is available in around 30 other languages.
How can parents support language development at home?
Language support for young children doesn't end when the daycare day is over. At home, too, many situations arise in which parents can support language development.
For example, parents can:
talk with their child about shared experiences
look at picture books together and talk about them
incorporate songs, verses, and rhymes into daily life
give the child time to respond
pick up on the child's questions
put everyday activities into words
This isn't about constantly doing exercises. Instead, language can be woven into shared everyday situations.
What role does multilingualism play in language support?
Children can grow up with several languages. For families, it's therefore relevant how the different languages are given space in everyday life.
The University of Teacher Education St. Gallen emphasises the importance of family languages and the local environment's language for growing up multilingual. Parents can support language development, for example, while playing together, telling stories, or looking at picture books.
At daycare, too, it can be worthwhile for parents to ask how different family languages are handled.
When should parents take a closer look at language development?
Children develop their language at different speeds. If parents are unsure whether their child's language development is age-appropriate, they can first discuss their observations with the caregivers. For further questions, paediatricians or other qualified professionals can help.
Why is early language support currently being discussed in Switzerland?
Early language support is also currently being discussed at the political level. The canton of Schaffhausen is planning a model for more widespread early language support. Until now, the specific design has been left to the municipalities.
kibesuisse supports the overall direction, but in its statement criticises, among other things, the lack of binding commitments, the funding, and quality standards that are not yet sufficiently defined. This is explicitly kibesuisse's position on the planned design.
Taking language support into account when choosing a daycare
When comparing different daycares, you can also pay attention to how much importance is placed on language support. For example, it's worth looking at how caregivers engage in conversation, what role books and stories play, and how multilingualism is handled.
With our daycare search, you can discover daycares in your region and learn about what they offer. With our daycare comparison, you can compare selected daycares side by side.
Do you have questions about finding a daycare or need support? Get in touch with us. We're happy to help.