Information and sources of advice for parents and families
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The resources here will help you reach the outcome: "I know what general information to give parents and families about their baby's speech, language and communication and where they can find out more"
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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
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
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
Progress Checker
Speech and Language UK's progress checker provides parents with short questions they can answer to see their baby is getting on with their communication development.
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
Children's Centres
Children's Centres give help and advice on child and family health and parenting. Use this link to find a Children's Centre close to you.
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
Speech and Language UK How to support your child
This information for families provides ideas for them to support their baby and forms part of Speech and Language UK's guide to the typical stages of speech and language development. Children develop language at different rates and understanding what is typical and what parents and carers can do to support their baby's communication helps provide them with a great start on their journey to developing communication skills.
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
Top Tips for Talking
Parents play a key role in supporting their baby's 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.
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 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
Family Information Service
Your local Family Information Service (FIS) provides a range of information on all services available to parents, including parents of disabled children.
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
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
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
Family Nurse Partnership
Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a home visiting programme for first-time young mums and families. It will help families you work with to have a healthy pregnancy; improve their child's health and development and plan their futures.
Cost: Free
