Western Heights Primary School pupil Linkin Petersen with volunteer Paddy Newton.
Being able to express what you want to say or what you feel may come naturally for some, but for others it's a real struggle unless addressed can lead to lifelong issues.
Reporter Dana Kinita finds out more.
Turning 5 is an exciting time in a child's life. They're gaining much coveted independence by bidding farewell to preschool, kohanga reo or kindergarten and donning their uniform to take the first steps into school.
But according to studies, it's also a crucial time for them to be up to speed in their listening and talking skills. Because even at such a young age, with so much still to learn, the clock is ticking.
Rotorua speech, language and literacy specialist Annette Stock has designed an oral language programme for some new entrant pupils at Western Heights Primary School. The programme started last week.
She said the Time to Talk with Tamariki programme is important as the ramifications of not learning how to communicate can linger into adulthood.
"Language development is not taught but is a natural acquirement until the age of 5," she said.
"If you do not get that by then, you have this Achilles heel that will follow you through to the rest of your life. For them - those with low language skills - school can be a challenge. If you have difficulty with language, you are on the back foot and can be severely disadvantaged.
"The extreme consequences of not knowing this by the time they're 5 is what we see in our court systems."
An international study in speech pathology and psychology began to document the high cross-over between youth offending and oral language deficits.
Australian researchers Pamela Snow and Martine Powell have described it as a "hidden disability" in antisocial behaviour.
The study showed young male offenders face a high risk (46-52 per cent) of clinically significant, yet undiagnosed language impairments.
"On the one hand, such statistics are not surprising; young offenders exit school early and typically lack social skills. But what is the common factor underlying both the transition to literacy and the development of pro-social interpersonal skills? Language competence," they wrote.
"Language deficits are not only invisible, but tend to masquerade as low IQ, or as behavioural phenomena such as rudeness, disinterest or poor motivation, all of which may harm a young person's education and/or passage through the justice system.
"Early evidence is emerging that language competence is a modifiable variable for young offenders, so it must be closely assessed to ensure that a potential intervention lever is not overlooked."
The Time to Talk with Tamariki programme is being delivered by volunteers from Rotary Rotorua Sunrise, who are trying to avoid the extreme consequences for Rotorua primary students.
Western Heights Primary School have recognised through testing, that many of their pupils starting school have low oral language which affects their formal learning.
"Teachers are trained to teach, not trained to teach students the underpins of the oral language," Ms Stock said.
"Teachers are struggling to be able to meet the needs of these students."
President of Rotary Rotorua Sunrise, Sue Gunn said their volunteers and parents were working alongside students either one-on-one or in small groups. It involved reading New Zealand storybooks and rhyming storybooks along with other language processing games and ways to promote conversation.
A child will receive three sessions a week with the Rotary Rotorua Sunrise volunteers.
"Due to the low socio-economic community and many children having had no or very little pre-school education ... [which have] resulted in a large number of children starting school with extremely low oral language, and this ultimately hinders their progress throughout their education.
"Parents and caregivers are being encouraged to become part of the programme helping to ensure that community and intergenerational literacy levels are raised," Mrs Gunn said.
"We read them books such as the Hairy Maclary series, Aunty Bea's [Yates] books and ask them questions to help draw them into conversation and try and bring out the children's past knowledge.
"It's not teaching them how to read but to increase their oral language so they can formulate ideas and express themselves."
Paddy Newton volunteers on behalf of Rotary Rotorua Sunrise twice a week. She reads and talks to three students each day. "I'm not working at the moment but I enjoy working with children so for me this is a way to be able to give back," she said.
"It's just been a real joy when you walk into the classroom and seeing their faces light up as they know you're here for them, it's been a good feeling."
Western Heights Primary School junior head teacher, Megan Marshall supervised the programme and anticipated the boost these students are receiving will enhance their progress in school.
"Students enjoy the smaller interactive and communication opportunities by having a tutor who is trained to provide specific instruction in a very informal situation, which encourages student confidence," she said.
Rotary Rotorua Sunrise wanted to thank Rotary District 9930 and the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust for their support through grants and funding for this oral language programme.
Anyone wanting to volunteer or for more information, contact Sue Gunn, president of Rotary Rotorua Sunrise, on (07) 346 8928.