Everyday activities: Home

Take time to observe what your child is showing an interest in. Get down to their level. Follow their lead and join in with their play. It can be tempting to direct your child towards an activity you would like them to do but its best for their communication if you follow their lead. Remember that play is important for speech and language development and your child will be learning through their play.

Copy your child’s vocalisations (sounds) and actions to build on their shared attention and interaction skills.

Try to avoid asking lots of direct questions like “what’s that?” or “what colour is this?”. Instead simply talk about what they are doing or show an interest in their play such as “bricks” or “building”.

Use lots of repetition so your child can become familiar with the language, and remember to allow time for them to respond. If your child shows you an object or toy you can help by labelling it and saying the word.

If your child is enjoying building a tower or completing a puzzle you can create opportunities for them to communicate. Try holding some pieces back to see if your child might ask for ‘more’.

You can also try offering your child choices, for example “do you want cow or pig?”. Remember to show them the object as you say the word so they learn what the word means. When your child makes a choice (by looking, reaching pointing or talking), label the item to reinforce the word.