Speech & Language Development
Speech and Language groups:
(also called Ginger Bear groups after the teddy who helps in the sessions)
How to encourage talking at home…
Use the strategy of pausing for quieter children - Count to at least 6 in your head to give the child time to think about a comment or question and answer you
Use the strategy of modelling. When a child says something incorrectly repeat back the correct model without expecting the child to repeat it. Eg child: I runned fast. Adult: ‘ you ran fast’
Use the strategy of expanding. If a child uses shorter sentences than his/her peers repeat back their answer and add a word or short phrase eg child: snake. Adult: yes a long, green snake
Use encouraging words eg mmm, I see, lovely, go on etc to encourage your child to say more without interrupting their flow of thoughts.
Try not to ask too many questions. An open question will encourage the child to say more but if the child is struggling a yes/no question will be easier to answer generally. What? Where? and who? questions are easier to answer than When? How? Why?
Accept and praise a child’s attempts to communicate
Help your child practise re-telling a story or the main ideas from a television programme.
Develop reasoning skills through discussion with a child. Eg discuss what happened, what might happen, how do you know, conclusions and why etc.
Give the child practise at asking questions – we ask lots of questions to children but don’t always provide opportunities to reverse this role.
Help your child learn new words by talking about interesting things together
Developing talking through every day activities:
For example… making a jam sandwich……
Vocabulary (words) your child could learn:
Fruits: blackcurrant strawberry apricot
Colours: purple red yellow brown white
Textures: bumpy smooth soft crusty crumbly nutty
Tastes: sweet juicy fruity tasty
Objects: jar, glass, lid, label, knife, plate, slice, loaf, jam, bread
Actions: spread, eat, make, scrape, unscrew, cut, turn, choose
Put the words in a sentence for your child to hear whilst you are making the sandwich
"Spread the jam on the bread” “cut the slice in half"
“you’ve made a red, fruity jam sandwich!”
Developing talking through every day activities:
For example… making a jam sandwich……
What did the children say?
Saron: I spread it out
Riley: It tastes of strawberry
Hollie: You put jam on
Tafara: I like strawberry jam
Baielee: I make apricot jam sandwich
Kenton: I like strawberry
Mohammad: Delicious….it’s sticky
Shannon: Tastes nice
Amelia: I like jam
Talking Targets:
- At 3 years I can …..
- Enjoy make believe play
- Ask what? Where? Questions
- Use 4-5 words together
At 4 years I can …..
- Ask who? Questions
- Use his / her ; she / he
- Link ideas together using ‘and’
At 5 years I can …..
- Answer why? How? Questions
- Understand instructions
- Take turns in longer conversations
At 6 years I can …..
- Use talk to describe and compare
- Sequence up to 5 pictures and talk about them
- Understand and use descriptive
- words eg slowly, carefully
At 7 years I can …..
- Use talk to solve problems
- Listen to information carefully and answer questions about it
- Use talk to plan and collaborate