A human being is born as a social being and children communicate with their surroundings even before they start to speak. Language and speech development is encouraged by encouraging communication so we can conclude that communication is the foundation of language and speech acquisition. Certain conditions need to be met for a normal language and speech development in children: biological development that implies the development of speech motor skills and auditory perception, cognitive or intellectual development, and social-emotional development that is influenced by the social environment. When we talk about language development, a process characterized by developmental patterns in expected periods is implied, but it also includes individual characteristics of each child. The process is divided into pre-linguistic or pre-verbal period that is marked by the child’s understanding of language and the linguistic or verbal period in which, with understanding, comes language production as well. Many experts in language and speech development are trying to explain the child’s mastery of language and speech and they all emphasize the importance of early pre-school age, no matter what theoretical model of language acquisition they adhere to. Behavioral, according to which a child acquires language structures by imitating speech patterns, using the trial and error method; generativist, in which a child has an innate ability to acquire the structure of their native language; cognitive, according to which a child acquires language in accordance with their cognitive development; interactionist, which claims that language and speech development requires interaction between the child’s innate predispositions and their environment. In the process of language acquisition, which happens in the context of the overall child growth and development, there are many active areas of the child’s development, since language doesn’t develop apart from the intellect, emotions, physical and other characteristics of the child. Therefore, it should be viewed holistically, in the context of the overall child growth and development. It is appropriate to encourage the child’s language and speech development from the earliest age. Besides parents and family, an important role in this process is held by children’s educational institutions and educators themselves. This thesis wants to emphasize the importance of educators themselves and their role, as competent and motivated participants in the educational system, to successfully satisfy the children’s needs and to encourage the overall child development.