A child's language reflects his thought processes and his level of development. Motor, emotional, and language development all have a direct relationship to the child's cognitive functioning--each follows the pattern of moving from gross and loosely differentiated states to refined and differentiated systems. Research in early childhood education suggests that all learning is essentially motoric and that oral language is a manifestation of early motor and language training. Therefore, learning activities which incorporate emotional, motor, cognitive, and language expression have the greatest potential for maximizing the child's intellectual growth. In assessing the language development of dialect-speaking poverty children we have come to recognize oral expression as a reflection of a system of cognitive processes--that these children are not deprived of such systems but that they have different systems. Approaches to teaching oral expression in early childhood include the use of the dictated story, puppets, sentence repetition, play, dramatization, dance, field trips, and singing. Materials designed for rhythmic-physical involvement include rhymes, jingles, dramas, pictures, and chalk boards. The teacher must accept the child's dialect, but also provide a model of Standard English for her students. (AL)