10 Phrases We Use That Don't Actually Convey What We Mean (Part 1):

"Take a seat"

Example:  A child just washed his hands and is standing by the table watching the teacher get set up.  She says, "Johnny, please take a seat."

To us it is obvious..."Take a seat" means that you are supposed to sit in your seat.   But when you are three or four (and have only been speaking English for 2 years), this phrase isn't very meaningful.  "Taking" is often an active verb meaning to grab (often referred to as a bad thing in early childhood, like "taking someone's toy"), and a "seat" is used more often to refer to a car seat than a regular chair, at least in my Midwestern dialect.  Often when kids hear things that don't have an obvious visual image, they just dismiss it as noise.  So if you are telling a child to "Take a seat", and they don't change their behavior, don't be surprised.  Rephrase to something more literal, "Sit in your chair" (Sit=active, visual verb and chair=common noun) or "Put your bottom in/on the chair"

 
"Use your words"

Example:  A child screams when another child scoots too close to him.  The teacher sees this and says to the first child, "Johnny, use your words."

This is a phrase started by well-intentioned teachers and parents, usually trying to get a child to use verbal language rather than physical aggression or whining.  Using words as a means of getting what you want or need is a wonderful skill to teach.  The problem is that just saying "Use your words" to kids does not teach them effective or appropriate words to use.  The issue here is twofold.  First, this is an abstract command.  One does not often "use" words.  We more often "say" words.  If a child starts whining and reaching for something you have, and you say "Use your words," what you often mean is "Say some words that tell me exactly what you want."  The second issue is, what "words" is the child supposed to "have" that they now need to recall in this emotionally charged state?  Remember, these children have been English speakers for only a few years, and will still need a lot of help coming up with appropriate and meaningful sentences to communicate their wants and needs.  Rather than using this phrase (catchy as it is) consider saying something like, "Tell him what you want with words" or "say something to him." Regardless of the phrase you use, the important thing is that you follow it with an example of what the child could say.  In this way, we are building the child's functional vocabulary, in addition to helping them handle social situations appropriately.

In the above example, the teacher could say, "Johnny, tell Max what are upset about.  You could tell him, 'Could you please move, you are too close'."  If the child is younger, you may want to shorten this too something like, "Max, say, 'please move back'."