Things to do that can help my child / young person with their understanding, talking and communication

Reduce screen time

Screens can often distract both toddlers and adults from every day interactions and communication. Try to reduce your and your toddler's screen time to increase opportunities for playing, talking and interacting together. This simple video from Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust outlines key messages using screens.

Learning to Talk

Short videos demonstrating strategies and ideas for easy, fun games for you to do with your toddler.  The information is broken down according to the child's age and the suggestions can be used flexibly, in any language, in a way that suits your and your child.

Cost: Free

Expansions - repeat and add

One way to help your toddler make longer sentences is to repeat and add a word or 2.  Here NHS Tayside's Rhyming Robin and Chatty Charlie share information about how to do this as well as many other top tips for putting words together. 

Cost: Free

Parent information, advice and resources - Worcestershire

The Worcestershire Speech and Language Therapy service website provides a comprehensive range of resources, advice and You Tube videos to help parents to support their child / young person at home. 

Visit the website to find:

• Information about speech, language and communication
• Free resources you can download and use at home
• Links to our You Tube channel where you will find demonstrations of activities you can do at home
• Further information about the local team, where we work and what services we provide 

Cost: Free

EasyPeasy App

Get EasyPeasy parenting tips and activities, personalised for you and your 0-5 year old, from the app's playful community of parents and experts.

The EasyPeasy App philosophy is evidence-based and simple. Early child development is fuelled by real-world interactions between you and your child. The EasyPeasy app is designed to help you create the playful, positive connections that will help your child grow and thrive, with everyday materials that you’ll already have access to at home.

Cost: Free

Be face to face at the toddler's level

Being at the toddler's level and being face to face with them helps them to listen, concentrate and understand the message. It also helps you to see where their focus is and what they are trying to communicate. This simple video produced by Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust shows why this is important.

Cost: Free

Talk together in daily routines

This leaflet provides information about how you can use everyday activities and routines to talk about what your toddler can see and what is happening. Toddlers learn from experiences and activities that happen over and over again.  This gives you a chance to use the same words and sentences many times.  Linking these to daily routines will help your toddler to make links between the words you say and what they mean.

Cost: Free

Sing songs and rhymes

Singing songs and rhymes together really help your toddler's communication and language skills to grow. Nottinghamshire Language for Life have produced videos for parents and carers that you can see by clicking the playlist on this page. Visit the 'words' page to learn the words to these songs and rhymes

Cost: Free

Share books with toddlers

Sharing books is a great way to help your toddler's talking. Making books part of your daily routine really helps to develop shared focus, communication and language skills.  Nottinghamshire Language for Life have produced this information leaflet about book sharing as well as many other top tips leaflets to help understand how to support speech, language and communication.

Cost: Free

Dummies fact sheet

Using a dummy can have an effect on your toddler's communication and development of speech sounds. Get Hackney Talking have provided tips on how to cut down on dummy use as well as lots of other useful information to help you know what you can do to support your toddler's communication development.

Cost: Free

Enquiry Line

The Speech and Language UK Enquiry Service gives you a chance to discuss questions or concerns about your child’s speech, language and communication development with one of Speech and Language UK’s speech and language therapists.  The therapists can give helpful information about children’s talking and communication development as well as tips on improving these skills. They can also offer advice on ages and stages and what can be done to help your child get the right support.

Cost: Free

Switch off and talk

Toddlers find it hard to focus on two things at once. TV and other background noise make it hard for them to learn. You can help your toddler to develop good listening and talking skills by switching off electronic devices. This webpage and leaflet provides you with information about why this is important.

Speech and Language UK How to support your child

This information about how to support your toddler forms part of Speech and Language UK's guide to the typical stages of speech and language development.  Toddlers develop language at different rates and understanding what is typical and what you can do to support your toddler can help you give them the best start on their journey to developing communication and language skills. 

Cost: Free

Follow the toddler's lead

Giving your toddler a chance to play with and explore the objects and toys around them gives you the perfect opportunity to follow their lead, see what they are interested in and talk about it.  Talking about what your toddler is interested in shows them that you value what they are doing and helps them to make links with the words and sentences you say.  

Cost: Free

TCT Universally Speaking 0-5

Universally Speaking is a booklet with information about typical communication skills, including attention and listening and understanding; interactions and speech.  Use the booklet to find out whether your toddler is on the right track, what helps them learn to talk and listen and what to do if you have concerns about any of their communication abilities.

Cost: Free

Labelling and Commenting

Using real word labels and commenting on what your toddler is interested in helps them to learn new words and understand how sentences work.  Here NHS Tayside's Rhyming Robin and Chatty and Charlie share information about how to do this as well as many other top tips for learning words and developing language. 

Cost: Free

Copy, repeat, imitate

Copying your toddler's sounds, words and actions shows them you're interested in what they are saying and doing, encourages them to do more and shows them how conversations and communication works. Here NHS Lothian share ideas of what you can do to help your toddler's early communication skills.

Cost: Free

Greater Manchester 10 Tips for Talking

The Greater Manchester (GM) 10 Tips for Talking are ten key messages to support the development of language and communication skills for babies and young children and can be used by everyone. Each tip is designed to give families and anyone working with children some small suggestions that can make a big difference and help give children the best start. Each message is based on sound research and is delivered by children.

Cost: Free

Talking With Your Children

Activities for parents to help nursery children’s speaking and listening Skills.  This booklet has been put together to help parents and carers to support their nursery aged children and contains examples of activities to do to support their speaking and listening. 

Cost: Free

Slow down

Find out how to slow down your talking and understand more about how this can help your child.

Cost: Free

NLT Small Talk

Small Talk helps parents turn daily activities with their toddler into new opportunities to build language skills. It includes a website featuring simple videos, tips and information to help chat, play and read every day. The activities include ideas around meal times and other daily routines such as going shopping.

Cost: Free

NLT Tips for talking leaflets

The National Literacy Trust provides a wide range of parent-friendly downloadable leaflets outlining tips for talking, why talking to your toddler matters and the benefits for their development. The ideas include information for talking in daily routines such as during nappy changing, information for dads and activities to support communication when out and about. 

Cost: Free

Small Talk

Small Talk helps parents turn daily activities with their toddler into new opportunities to build language skills. It includes a website featuring simple videos, tips and information to help chat, play and read every day. The activities include ideas around meal times and other daily routines such as going shopping.

Cost: Free

Leeds Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit

Leeds Community Healthcare's Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit contains advice, activities and general resources to help you with the development of your toddler's speech, language and communication skills.

Cost: Free

Watch, wait, listen and respond

Watching, waiting, listening and responding is a powerful way that we can help toddlers develop early communication skills.  Waiting for toddlers to take their turn or share what they are interested in can be difficult when we are busy getting on with life.  However it is key to giving them opportunities to develop communication and language skills.  This leaflet and video from the Speech and Language Therapy Service in Greater Glasgow and Clyde outlines why and how to wait and respond.  It forms part of a wider series of useful information for parents, carers and professionals.

Cost: Free

Clickety Books

Clickety Books are fun books and resources to share with your toddler to encourage development and will help children who may have difficulty with certain speech sounds.  They have been developed by speech and language therapists to support the speech and language development of all children as well as those who need a little extra help.  They include Early Sound Play resources that are built around stories - these stories are filled with particular target sounds, alliteration, rhythm and rhyme to develop early sound awareness.  The story books can also be used to develop vocabulary, sentence and narrative skills boosting children's literacy skills.  Puppets are also available to help with the interactive book-sharing experience! 

Cost: £2.50 upwards

Learning more than one language

Many children grow up learning more than one language. This information leaflet from NHS Forth Valley provides you with useful information and top tips about what you can do to help your toddler on their way to being bilingual or multilingual.

Cost: Free

Speech Link Parent Portal

The Speech Link Parent Portal offers you advice, information and activities for developing your children’s understanding, talking and listening.  It includes information about speech, language and communication, how these skills develop, activities and top tips videos.

Cost: Free

Speech and Language Chatter Matters

This series of videos for parents and carers outlines how speech, language and communication skills develop; what families can do to support their baby; how these skills develop over time; children with speech and language needs and how to access information and support.

Cost: Free

National Literacy Trust Bilingual quick tips

The National Literacy Trust has produced a series of bilingual quick tips for parents and practitioners to help children develop good talking and listening skills. There are lots of different languages.  Copies can be downloaded and shared with families.

- Say hello to your new baby
- Dummies and talking
- Talk to your baby and child in your own language
- Making the most of television
- Talking with your baby
- Sharing songs and rhymes
- Playing with your baby

Cost: Free

Stoke Speaks Out - Out and About activity packs

Being out and about is a great opportunity for language learning! Download these free printable activity packs for ideas to support your child's speech and language and occupy their busy little minds while you're out and about.

Cost: Free