Top tips for communicators and first word users

People Play

Do you know the best activities for early interaction only need you?!

• Peekaboo
• Tickles
• Chasing
• Hide and Seek

Tickly rhymes such as:

• ‘Round the garden’
• ‘This little piggy’
• ‘Cross cross line line’

Movement rhymes such as:

• Row row your boat
• Ring a roses
• Sleeping Bunnies

Pause at the high points of the play to give you child opportunities to show enjoyment and anticipation.

Pause at the end to let your child show they want to repeat the game.

Use predictable, repetitive language so your child can join in.

Show your child what you mean

Using visual information as you talk such as holding up objects, pointing, using gestures, pictures. Using Makaton signs is a great way to build language andt communication.

Share songs and rhymes with your child

Songs with actions (like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes) or lots of repetition and fun sounds (like ‘Old McDonald’ or ‘Wheels on the Bus’) are great for encouraging young children to join in.

Share stories

Interactive books, such as ones you can touch and feel, lift the flap or books with buttons can be great to capture little ones’ interest and take turns. Chat about the pictures using single words and short phrases and encourage your child to point at the pictures.

Having interactions that are loving, enjoyable, back & forth and language rich give your child the best start.

Get face to face and on your child’s level

Do this when interacting and try to minimise distractions such as screens.

Observe Wait & Listen

This is how you can see what has caught your child’s interest and what they are trying to communicate.

Follow Your Child’s Lead

Enjoy fun activities together including your child’s interests. Whatever your child enjoys doing can be used as an opportunity to build language and communication. Join in the play your child’s way. Comment on what your child is doing using short, simple language. When your child uses language, repeat their words and expand by adding a word.

Bubble, bubble, pop!

• Have fun together blowing & popping bubbles
• Use fun language like ‘pop’, ‘bubbles’, ‘blow’, ‘up’, ‘uh oh!’
• Talk about where the bubbles pop – ‘on my hand’, ‘on your head’, ‘on your foot’
• See if your child can join in blowing the bubbles
• Get the whole family involved in the fun!

Listening Activities

• Hide a noisy toy around the room for your child to find
• Go a listening walk and chat about the sounds you hear
• Give your child simple instructions such as ‘find me.. your shoes, teddy, ball etc. This can be done as a ‘shopping game’ – set up items in a ‘shop’ and tell your child what you want to buy
• Listen to a repetitive story e.g. ‘that’s not my car, puppy’ etc and make the Makaton sign or a noise (beep beep, woof woof) when you hear the target word

Turn Taking with the Ball

• Roll the ball to each other to develop early turn taking skills.
• Emphasize whose turn it is, praise your child for good waiting and sharing
• Add action words such as ‘roll, throw, catch, kick, bounce, drop’ to your child’s language.
• Why not make a ramp for the ball? Chat about how you will build it. Does the ball go fast/slow? Is the ramp high/low?
• With children using lots of language you can play the favourites game – pass the ball to each other and when you have the ball say a favourite food, toy, colour etc.

What’s in the bag

Put different everyday, child safe objects in a bag and take turns to take out and chat about each one. Examples could include your child’s favourite toys and everyday objects from around the house. Chat together about what you find – what does it do? Describe it. Play with it together as you chat – use your imagination.

Communicators

All children are unique in their communication style – teach your child that their way of communication is valuable by responding straight away when your child communicates with you. As you respond you can model words and phrases that match what your child is communicating.

Building Language

If your child is using spoken words to communicate you can grow their language by repeating back what they say and adding a word, for example, if your child says ‘car’ you can say ‘big car’, ‘mummy’s car’, ‘bye car’ etc. If your child says ‘the bus is coming’ you could say ‘the big, blue bus is coming’ Model a range of words such as action words (‘eat, drink, sleep, push, play, throw, kick, cuddle’) and describing words (‘big, little, hot, cold, soft, happy, sad, angry) as well as the names of all different objects and people.

Speech Sounds

Most children will continue to mix up or miss out sounds in words for some time – simply model the correct sounds for your child to hear and continue chatting.