According to Vygotsky, children speak to themselves to guide their actions.

Explanation:
Vygotsky, a renowned Russian psychologist, proposed that children engage in a process called private speech, where they speak to themselves aloud or silently. He believed that this self-directed speech plays a crucial role in a child's cognitive development and helps them regulate their thinking and actions.

Private Speech as a Cognitive Tool:
1. Guiding Actions: According to Vygotsky, children use private speech to guide their actions. They talk themselves through a task or problem-solving process, which helps them plan, organize, and monitor their actions. By verbally articulating their thoughts and strategies, children can better understand the steps they need to take and make adjustments if necessary.

2. Zone of Proximal Development: Vygotsky also introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which refers to the gap between a child's current level of development and their potential development with the assistance of a more knowledgeable other. Private speech helps bridge this gap by allowing children to engage in self-directed problem-solving and advance their cognitive abilities.

3. Scaffolding: Vygotsky believed that private speech serves as a form of self-scaffolding. Scaffolding refers to the support provided by a more competent individual to help a child learn and achieve tasks that they couldn't do independently. Similarly, when children speak to themselves, they provide themselves with verbal cues and reminders, essentially acting as their own scaffolds.

Significance of Private Speech:
1. Self-Regulation: Private speech helps children regulate their behavior and emotions. By talking themselves through a challenging task, they can stay focused, manage frustration, and persist in their efforts.

2. Internalization: Over time, private speech transitions from being external and audible to internal and silent. As children develop, their self-directed speech becomes more covert, eventually transforming into inner thoughts.

3. Social Interaction: Vygotsky emphasized the social nature of private speech. While children initially engage in overt self-talk, they gradually internalize the speech of others and use it to guide their thoughts and actions. Private speech thus serves as a bridge between social interactions and individual cognitive processes.

In summary, according to Vygotsky, children speak to themselves to guide their actions and facilitate their cognitive development. Private speech helps children plan, organize, and monitor their behavior, bridging the gap between their current abilities and their potential development.