General guidance and strategies to develop speech, language and communication
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The resources here will help you reach the outcome: "I know what to do and have the resources to support all babies' speech, language and communication."
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Tiny Happy People
Tiny Happy People BBC website provides a wide range of information, ideas and activities for you to use and signpost parents to use in daily routines to help develop babies communication skills. The website is for parents of children aged up to 5 years, parents can choose information that is relevant to the age of their child. It includes information about what to expect and when as well as activities and games to play to help speech, language and communication. It includes information, ideas and activities for parents of babies with SEND.
Cost: Free
Reduce screen time
Screens can often distract both babies and adults from every day interactions and communication. This video from Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust provides key messages for you to share with parents about reducing their and their baby's screen time to increase opportunities for playing and interacting together.
Switch off and talk
Babies learn from watching the adults around them, switching off devices supports their communication development. This webpage and leaflet provides families with information about why this is important.
Cost: Free
Tiny Happy People activities
Tiny Happy People BBC website provides a wide range of information, ideas and activities for you to share with parents to use in daily routines to help develop their baby's communication skills. It includes activities and games to play to help speech, language and communication.
NHS Services and support for parents
NHS website with details for how to find a GP, Health Visitor and child health clinics in your area
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
PEEP
Peep Communication and Language strand - evidence-based parenting programme for parents and babies together to attend together. There is a focus on bonding, attachment and the quality of the home learning environment as well as a focus on communication and language. Parents have the opportunity to gain 3 credits towards NOCN Learning Together at home.
Peep Early Literacy Strand - evidence-based parenting programme for parents and children to attend together. There is a focus on bonding, attachment and the quality of the home learning environment as well as a focus on literacy. Parents have the opportunity to gain 3 credits towards NOCN Learning Together at home.
Cost: Free
Be face to face at the baby's level
Being face to face with babies helps them to listen, concentrate and understand the message you are sharing. It also helps you to see where the baby's 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
TCT Universally Speaking 0-5
Universally Speaking is a series of booklets for parents or anyone who works with children and includes a booklet for babies and children aged 0-5. It gives typical communication skills, including attention and listening and understanding; interactions and speech. Use the booklets to find out whether a child 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. You can also share this with the families of children you support.
Cost: Free
Follow the baby's lead
Giving babies 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 babies are interested in shows them that you value what they are doing and helps them to make links with the words you say. Use this strategy with babies you work with and share this information with their families.
Cost: Free
Using visual support
Parents play a key role in supporting their babies language and communication skills in everyday life. Children learn about the world through their experiences and interests particularly within their play. Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust provide information and opportunities for families learn more about developing speech and language - this video introduces how to use visual support to help communication.
Cost: Free
Dummies fact sheet
Using a dummy long term can have an effect on a baby developing communication and speech sounds. Get Hackney Talking have provided tips on how to cut down on dummy use over time as well as lots of other useful information to help parents know what they can do to support their baby's communication development.
Cost: Free
Talk together in daily routines
This leaflet provides information for you to use and to share with parents and carers about how to use everyday activities and routines to talk about what babies can see and what is happening. Babies learn from experiences and activities that happen over and over again. This gives adults a chance to use the same words and sentences many times. Linking these to daily routines will help babies to make links between the words and what they mean.
Cost: Free
Speech and Language UK Ages and Stages
This is a guide to the typical stages of speech and language development in babies. Children develop language at different rates. However, understanding what is typical can help you identify speech and language problems early. This page also provides information about how to support babies' development.
Cost: Free
Sing songs and rhymes
Singing songs and rhymes together really help babies' communication 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
Sharing books is a great way to help a baby's talking. Making books part of your daily routine really helps to develop shared focus and communication skills. Use and share this Nottinghamshire Language for Life information leaflet about book sharing as well as many other top tips leaflets to help families you work with understand how to support speech, language and communication.
Cost: Free
Labelling and Commenting
Using real word labels and commenting on what babies are interested in helps them to learn new words. 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. Use these strategies in your interactions with babies you support and share with their families.
Cost: Free
Copy, repeat, imitate
Copying a baby's sounds 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 babies; early communication skills. Use these strategies with the babies you work with and share these ideas with their families.
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
Development Matters
Development Matters supports all those working in early childhood education settings to implement the requirements of the EYFS and support the early learning of young children. It can be used as part of daily observations, ongoing assessment and to inform planning. It can also be used to make best-fit summative judgements and with parents in relation to whether a child is showing typical development, is at risk of delay or is ahead for their age. The age and stage bands suggest a typical range of development in many areas including Communication and Language; Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Literacy. The development statements have not been designed to be used as a checklist but can highlight areas to focus on for developing key skills.
Cost: Free
WellComm Toolkit
The WellComm Assessment is for use with any child aged 6 months to 6 years and enables practitioners to evaluate children's language skills, draw up a detailed profile and identify children at risk of having difficulty in developing language skills. It identifies those children who need setting-based monitoring and support and those who need referral to specialist support services. The screen is completed through observation, discussion with families and screening by asking children to carry out a variety of tasks ensuring that results obtained and conclusions drawn are more accurate than using one approach alone.
The WellComm Big Book of Ideas has been designed for use following a WellComm assessment of any child aged 6 months to 6 years. It includes general strategies as well as very specific activities to develop and improve children's speech and language skills and can be implemented by any early years practitioner or parent using toys and items that can be found in settings or at home. The activities are used to develop the particular skills highlighted for support in the assessment - this means that the activities delivered are specific and appropriate to the individual child language development stage and can be used in the setting or at home.
Training videos are included in the toolkit.
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 baby 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
Watch, wait, listen and respond
Watching, waiting, listening and responding is a powerful way that we can help babies develop early communication skills. Waiting for babies 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 babies opportunities to play the communication game. 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
Every Child a Talker
The materials are designed to support you to develop high quality language provision in your setting. The guidance helps you to create developmentally appropriate, supportive and stimulating environments in which young children can enjoy experimenting with and learning language. It can be implemented in Early Years settings, including childminders.
Cost: Free
Clickety Books
Clickety Books are fun books and resources to share with babies. They have been developed by speech and language therapists to support communication 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. Puppets are also available to help with the interactive book-sharing experience!
Cost: £
Speech and Language UK 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
Speech and Language UK Learning to Talk, Talking to Learn
This series of videos for practitioners helps you to understand your role in supporting speech, language and communication development. The videos cover: the importance of communication; early years observations; how children learn to talk and activities that help. It includes built in exercises to support and reinforce your learning.
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
The Baby Club
BBC's The Baby Club, is a website featuring songs, rhymes, stories and activities that you can signpost to families to give ideas for playing, singing and sharing with their baby.
Cost: Free
