Inclusion of home languages during early childhood instructional conversations

•Home language use during Instructional Conversations was rare but associated with increased participation of multilingual children.•Educators reported home language use helped to engage multilingual children.•Results indicated the need for explicit instruction on home language use in classrooms.•An analysis of 27 h of classroom videos and educator interviews.•Contributes to research on home language use and learning in early childhood. Including home languages in classrooms can increase multilingual students’ participation, improve literacy, and promote inclusion. It is a prevalent topic at academic conferences; however, home language use in classrooms is less common. This study was a microanalysis of home language use during Instructional Conversations at a linguistically diverse English-medium preschool. Data sources included 27 h of classroom videos of Instructional Conversations and interviews with educators who used children's home languages. Home language use during Instructional Conversations was rare in these data; however, when employed, it was followed by increased participation by the multilingual children, facilitating language and concept development. These findings indicate a need for explicit educator preparation on home language use in classrooms. Educators in this study who used children's home languages adopted alternative discourse patterns than those traditionally found in schools. They reported being motivated by the increased participation of multilingual children and positive responses from families.