Communication skills and early language development

The ability for young children to communicate effectively is a vital part of their development. Young children need to be able to communicate with their other children and adults, both to understand and be understood and so that they can play, learn and interact socially.

Why are communication skills important?

Research shows that poor language acquisition in the early years impacts a child throughout their life. The size of a child's vocabulary at age five is a very strong predictor of the qualifications they will achieve at school and beyond. It will impact on their employment prospects and their health.

How can we help?

Consider how well the home environment supports language acquisition:

• How much do family speak with and around the youngest child?
• How often are books read with the child, this could be just talking about pictures. If you don't have many (or any) books you could join the library for free, which could also be a great activity during the week
• Do you sing songs at home, especially those with actions - most people remember a nursery rhyme or two
• Do family give the child the time, space and one-to-one concentration to support their development e.g. how good is eye contact, are the TV and radio turned off to minimise distractions when talking?
• Do you give children enough time to respond to questions or statements before doing so yourself? Children need more time than adults to think about what they have heard and decide what to say back - maybe up to 10 seconds to respond
• Do you repeat things several times and extend language in their responses e.g. Child: 'a car'. Parent: 'yes, a red car'

See also Every Child a Talker Southampton and Start for Life Early Learning and Development.

Helping your baby learn to talk

Helping your baby learn to talk is one of the most important ways you can help them develop. 

There are different ways to help them learn depending on their age. A baby of six months learns very differently to a child at two years. 

You can find more information about helping your baby learn to talk, as well as guidance on speech and language problems, by visiting the NHS website, the National Literacy Trust and the BBC Tiny Happy People language advice pages.