Starting Life Well service has developed top tips for talking to help you develop your child's speech, language and communication skills take a look at our top tips below:
Get face to face with your child
You feel like you are playing together
You can see what your child is interested in
They can see you are enjoying your play
You can both hear each other better
Follow your child's lead
It can reduce frustration and your child will play with you for longer
It gives them confidence to try things
Your child is more likely to learn if he/she is interested
It shows you are interested
Comments not questions
Unlike questions, commenting doesn't put your child under pressure to talk
You give your child language as they are experiencing it
It shows you are interested
Keep language simple
You make it easier for your child to understand
They can hear the sounds in words clearly
You're not bombarding them with too many words
Repeat, repeat, repeat
Practice makes perfect
The more a child hears a word, the more likely they are to understand it, then use it
It's good to wait
You give your child time to talk and to express their interests and feelings
Your child has your undivided attention
You don't take over and control the conversation
You take into consideration the feelings, needs and curiosity of your child