start a conversation with you about what I have been doing
tell a simple story
enjoy learning new words and understanding what they mean
enjoy listening to stories and ask for the same one over and over again
tell you about me and my favourite things
answer ‘what’ and ‘where’ questions
You can help my talking by
listening to what I have to say in conversations, replying to me and waiting for me to have a turn
giving me time to finish what I am saying
telling me clearly what you want me to do
enjoying conversations with me about what we have done, what we’re doing and what we are going to do
letting me ask questions about things I don’t know and explaining to me what they are
talking with me about how I feel
Activities we can share together
watching TV and DVDs and talking to me about them afterwards in case I did not understand what I saw
playing with construction toys and talking about them as we build
doing jigsaws, playing matching and turn taking games
looking at books, reading, listening to, and talking about stories
looking at photographs and talking about them
going outdoors to play games or visit new places
doing household tasks like –
washing
gardening
cooking
Things to remember
children learn from adults. Have a special time every day to enjoy playing and talking together
houses are noisy places. Reduce the amount of noise by turning off the TV or radio. It is easier for children to listen without the extra noise
looking at each other will help your child understand how important talking is. Sit so that your child can see your face
too much dummy sucking can reduce the amount of talking your child does and may cause difficulties in speaking. Cut down the amount of time your child has a dummy
your child needs you to talk with them throughout the day. Everyday jobs and routines can be a time to talk with your child like meal times, getting dressed and undressed, bath time, going for a walk, going to the shops, on the bus or in the car
