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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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