General guidance and strategies to develop speech, language and communication

Hungry Little Minds

Short videos demonstrating strategies and ideas for easy, fun games for you to use in your day to day interactions with babies.  This information can be shared with parents and carers so that they can also be used at home.  The information is broken down according to the child's age and the suggestions can be used flexibly, in any language, by both parents and practitioners.  

Cost: Free

Balanced System for Schools and Settings

The Balanced System Scheme for Schools and Settings is a whole system approach to improving outcomes for children across the range of speech, language and communication needs for any setting that supports children. The framework enables a setting to understand existing need and provision for speech, language and communication and develop provision to address the gaps. The framework supports a setting to demonstrate impact of the support for speech, language and communication.

Cost: £

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

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

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

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

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

Use everyday routines

Use everyday routines as times to introduce communication and language learning opportunities to babies. This leaflet from NHS Ayrshire and Arran gives you ideas for everyday routines that are perfect for learning and includes information about ways to do this.  Use these ideas with the babies you work with and share with their families.

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.  

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

Slowing down

Slowing down when talking and singing helps babies to tune into the rhythm and the words adults around them are using. Slowing down also gives babies time to think about what they would like to say or do.  This is one of a series of videos from Speech and Language Therapists from South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust outlining strategies to support speech, language and communication development.

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: £

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 and families can do to help babies on their way to being bilingual.

Cost: Free

NLT 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