Preschoolers’ talk about future situations

We conducted 2 experiments that examined 3-year-olds’ ability to talk about future situations involving the self. In both experiments, children participated in a trip task. In this task, children were asked to choose various items that might be required on a trip, and to explain their choices verbally. A coding scheme that captured both the dimensions of futurity and uncertainty was developed to categorize children’s explanations. In addition, children were administered the Test of Early Language Development-2 (TELD-2) (Hresko, Reid & Hammill, 1991). Results from both experiments indicated that children’s language was beginning to reflect an ability to anticipate various situations involving the self that might arise during the course of a trip. The correlation between children’s scores on the trip task and their scores on the TELD-2 was positive, but not statistically significant. We discuss factors, other than general language ability, that may contribute to children’s talk, and thought, about the future.