Creating opportunities for communication

Ready steady go

The aim of using the “ready steady go” strategy is to model spoken language and actions in a play routine. You also want to share excitement with your child about something fun that is about to happen.

For this strategy you might use “cause and effect” toys which your child needs your help to use. For example, bubbles, light spinners, wind up toys, or blowing up a balloon and letting it go.

Try showing your child how to use the toy a few times and modelling the phrase “ready steady go”. Use lots of anticipation and excitement in your voice when you say “ready steady go”, before using the toy. You could also use the Makaton sign for ‘go’ at the same time:

After demonstrating the activity, pause and wait. Does your child communicate that they want the activity again? They might make a sound, move their body, produce a gesture, touch the toy, or look towards you. Respond quickly with ‘ready steady go!’ and operating the toy again.

We do not wait for them to use spoken words because that might not be possible for them. It could discourage them from playing the game with us anymore. It is important that “ready steady go” activities are a playful, fun way for your child to interact with you. We don’t want it to lead to your child becoming distressed or frustrated.

Sometimes you might pause but your child does not communicate to you that they want the game to continue. Try blowing the bubbles or using the toy again, and keep modelling “ready steady go” with an excited voice.

Repeat the game until your child indicates that they no longer want to engage.

Playful surprise

Playful surprise can be a good reason for communication. This might be putting things in an unusual place or including the ‘wrong’ thing in a game . For example, you might offer you child an animal toy instead of the car they need to go down the ramp. You might put a sock in the bath one day and then wait to see what happens. Or you might sit down next to them wearing a silly hat.

Think about your child’s daily routine, and what you could try as part of it. This can give you lots of opportunities to model language, gestures, or photos/symbols at these times.

Some words you could model might be “uh oh”, or “oh dear”, with a gesture. See link for ‘Fun words‘ for more information.

If your child notices what has happened and finds it funny, enjoy that moment together. You could model “silly mummy”, or “what’s daddy done!”.

Unexpected surprises can be a great reason for a shared moment and communication. Remember to wait and see how your child responds.

Bit-by-bit

To help your child to notice that they can request more, we sometimes give items in small amounts, a bit at a time.

How to do the bit-by-bit strategy

Bit-by-bit could be giving your child a few blocks and waiting to see if they show you that they want more, instead of giving them all the blocks at once. They might do this by reaching for the blocks, looking at them, making a sound, moving their body or saying a word.

Respond to them straight away by giving them more blocks. It does not matter exactly how they communicated that they wanted more. For example, if they reached past you and took blocks, you should let them do this. Then take the opportunity to model how to ask, such as:

• Using a sign or gesture
• Pointing to the object or a picture of it
• Saying the word, like “more”, or “blocks”, or using it in a phrase like “let’s have some more”.

Offering items bit-by-bit gives you lots of opportunities to model how to ask for things. You could try giving items bit by bit with any activities that your child is interested in. For example, giving jigsaw pieces, pom poms in sensory play, shapes for a shape sorter, or small world figures.

The importance of being playful

It’s important that this strategy is used in a playful, fun way with your child. It should not make your child feel upset. The aim of the strategy is for the adult to model how to ask, and the child to have lots of opportunities to ask. It gives an opportunity to share excitement and anticipation with your child about something fun that is happening.

People games

People games are the fun physical games that you might play with your child. You can find out more by clicking here: People games

Giving choices

By offering choices, it can support your child to:

• learn the words for things
• make requests
• reduce frustration

You can find out more by clicking here: Giving choices