Building communication every day - practical tips for home

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting the development of children’s communication skills. Nurturing your child’s communication doesn’t need to be specialist; you are already your child’s most important communication partner 😊 Small everyday interactions can make a big difference.  As speech and language therapists we like to live by the mantra ‘every interaction is an intervention’!

Opportunities for communication are endless, and below, we’ve compiled our list of top tips for weaving those communication opportunities into daily life:

1. Talk little and often about everyday life

Children learn language best through real experiences. Try to talk about what you’re doing together throughout the day. A ‘running commentary’ helps children hear new words, understand how sentences are formed, and link language to meaning.

Examples:

• “We’re cutting the apple. It’s crunchy and red.”

• “Let’s find your blue socks. Oh, here they are under the bed!”

Pause regularly and give your child time to respond. They may only use a word, gesture, or sound at first.

2. Get down to their level and really listen!

When your child talks to you, try to give them your full attention. Get down to their eye level, show interest, and acknowledge what they say. This shows your child that their communication is important and worth listening to.

Giving children focused attention helps them to:

• Develop their own attention and listening skills

• Learn how conversations work (taking turns, waiting, responding)

• Build confidence to communicate more

Where possible, try to reduce distractions such as phones, television or background noise during these moments. While screens can have a place in family life, they can easily pull attention away from real conversations. Even short periods of screen-free time, where you are fully present with your child, can make a big difference to their communication development.

3. Build language into play.

So much of children’s learning happens through play! Whether it’s small world toys, role play, construction, or board games, play creates natural opportunities for language.

You can support this by:

• Naming objects and actions (“The car is going fast!”)

• Adding new ideas (“Oh no, the teddy is lost. Where could he be?”)

• Encouraging turn-taking and listening

Let your child lead the play. Following your child’s interests is often the most effective way to encourage communication.

4. Read often

Looking at books together is one of the best ways to support speech and language development. You don’t have to read every word. Instead, you can:

• Talk about the pictures

• Ask simple questions, such as “What can you see?” “Who is in the picture?” “How do you think he feels?”

• Link the story to your child’s own experiences

Re-reading favourite books can be particularly helpful, as children become familiar with the language and begin to join in.

5. Model, Expand and Recast!

These three key words are simple strategies you can use to respond to your child to help their communication grow.

Modelling: Showing your child how language works by using clear, correct words and sentences during everyday interactions.

Examples:

• Adult: “The car is going fast!”

• Adult: “You’re drinking your milk.”

• Adult: “Oh no, teddy has fallen over.”

Expanding: Building on what your child says by repeating it and adding one or two extra words to develop their sentence building skills.

For example, if they say:

• Child: “Dog.”   Adult: “Yes, a big dog.”

• Child: “Baby crying.”  Adult: “The baby is crying loudly.”

Recasting: Gently correcting your child’s language by repeating what the say in the right way, without asking them to repeat it.

Examples:

If your child says, “Me goed park,” you could respond with:

“You went to the park, yes! You went on the slide.”

6. Create opportunities to communicate

You can gently encourage communication by:

• Putting favourite toys slightly out of reach

• Offering choices (i.e, do you want apple or banana?)

Accept all forms of response, not just spoken words. E.g. pointing, gestures, sounds, facial expressions or body language. These are all meaningful ways your child is communicating with you. This shows them that communication works, and is how their confidence and communication skills will grow.

7. Use clear, simple language to support understanding

Some children can find it tricky to follow instructions or understand what is being said. You can help by:

• Using short, clear sentences

• Break down more complicated instructions into one or two steps at a time

o   e.g. instead of “Go upstairs, get your shoes, put them on and come back down,” try: “Go upstairs and get your shoes.” (Pause) “Now let’s put them on.”

• Using gestures or showing objects where possible

  • e.g. hold their coat up or point to it when telling them to put it on.

When to seek extra support

Every child develops at their own pace, but if you are concerned about your child’s speech, understanding, or social communication, it is always okay to seek advice. A speech and language therapist can assess your child’s needs and offer tailored support and reassurance. You can self-refer as the child’s parent, or a referral to speech therapy services can be made by your child’s school.