When teachers are not precise in their communication, use idioms, or use sarcasm, children don't learn, or, worse, they experience confusion or embarrassment because they don't know what to do. This new edition of Use Your Words is infused with current research on communicating with young children and their families. The text considers change and current culture in the United States as it affects language and little ones in the context of 2017, while respecting universal pieces that continue to be helpful.

The new edition includes new and expanded examples viewed through a cultural, contextual, and chronological lens; a discussion of how today's media affects young children, especially exposure to traumatic events around the world; and consideration of the impact of social media, cell phones, and texting on family life and public education. It also addresses how to help young children whose home language is not English and respect differing parental expectations as we move from one socioeconomic or cultural group to the next.