Early language strategies

Encourage listening and time to talk

Try to find quiet time to talk with your child without the TV on.

How it helps

This will give you and your child chance to talk and listen to each other.

Get to where your child can see you!

Try getting down on the floor and sitting or lying opposite your child when you are playing or talking to them.

How it helps

You can make eye-contact with them and they can see your mouth so know how you can form sounds and words.

Gesture

Use gestures and actions when you are talking.

Encourage your child to use gesture too.

How it helps

This helps your child understand what you are saying.

This helps your child get their message across.

Specific praise

Praise your child.

This can be spoken, by telling them what they have done well, for example:

• “Good sharing”
• “Well done for tidying up”

or physical, by using hugs, kisses, high fives, smiles.

How it helps

This way they will know what you are pleased with so will do it again in future.

It is much better to praise good behaviour than to punish bad behaviour.

Commenting or labelling

Talk to your child using words and sentences which they can copy.

How it helps

Children learn language by listening to people talking.

Extending

Use sentences which are slightly longer than ones your child normally uses, for example, if they say 1 word, model 2 words together.

How it helps

This will help your child use longer sentences themselves.

Remodelling

Praise any attempt at a word (even if it doesn’t sound like the real word). Give praise for it and then repeat the word for them clearly.

How it helps

This will help your child learn how to say words without you having to correct them.

Singing, rhythm and rhymes

Sing songs with your child. Children love to sing the same songs over and over again.

Tap out rhythms of songs and words, for example, with clothes pegs or wooden spoons and pans.

How it helps

This helps develop their early sound skills which are needed for reading and writing.

Repetition

Say it again and again. Repeat the same words or phrases during an activity.

How it helps

Children need to hear a word lots of time before they can begin to use it in their own talking.

Reduce questions

Try talking to your child without asking questions, use some of the other ideas listed here instead.

How it helps

If we ask children too many questions they can get fed up and feel like they are always being ‘tested’.

Give choices

Offer your child a choice (even if you know what they will choose) for example, “would you like juice or milk?”

How it helps

This helps them learn words and learn how to make choices. They learn that they can have some control over what happens.

Talk slowly and allow time to talk

Think about how fast you talk and try to slow down. Give your child lots of time to respond to what you have said.

How it helps

Children often find it hard to listen and understand what is being said. Talking slowly will make it easier to understand you.