Help Kids Talk

Our message this month is 'Kind words and gentle touch, help me explore and learn so much.' And this isn't just for babies - children of all ages need our kind words and gentle touch too 🥰

Try including these simple activities in your baby's everyday routine to help develop their language and communication skills.

Have a look at the 'Best start in life' for tips and ideas on supporting your pregnancy, baby & toddler :) There's a great section on early learning and development ...

Did you know that 90% of your child's brain growth happens before the age of 5. Right from the start, all those little moments you spend together are building their brain.

Every smile, cuddle, chat and game makes a huge difference, helping them learn to communicate, develop confidence and make friends.

https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/early-learning-development/

Best Start in Life health advice - NHS Get trusted NHS advice on pregnancy, babies and supporting your toddler's development. Now you can also find out about childcare and education support too!

Asking less questions and making more comments is one of the most powerful ways to help kids talk. Reducing the number of questions you ask has lots of benefits including:

🟣 Questions can make children feel under pressure to speak and respond
🟣 Comments allow a child to respond without having to know ‘the right answer’
🟣 Comments increase the range and volume of vocabulary a child hears rather than testing what they already know.
🟣 Making comments encourages a more natural conversation as children don’t feel they are being tested or quizzed
🟣 Making comments allows children to either add a comment of their own, or take the conversation in a different direction
🟣 Questions can actually stop the flow of conversation if they can be answered with a simple yes or no

Words by one are important however as your child grows older, there are lots of things you can do to continue to build their vocabulary. Here are some of our top tips and ideas to try.

The mulberry bush song is one of our favourite ways to teach new vocabulary and is a great way to bring songs into your daily routine at home. Here are some of our ideas of things you can sing about – have you got any special versions of this song you sing at home?

Hannah from Portadown, NI has had a hearing impairment from an early age & is really aware of how important it is to make plenty of eye contact & sounds when interacting with her baby, Matthew.

As she does this, she will be building and strengthening connections in Matthew’s brain which will support his communication skills to develop

How do you look after a child with a hearing impairment? A look at how one of our Tiny Happy People Families deals with a hearing impairment and life as a new parent on a daily basis.

Chat to your child anytime, anywhere to help build up their understanding and use of language.

Walking to nursery / school can be a great opportunity to talk to your child, you can talk about the routine and what you see or hear around you. You could also talk about what they are going to do at school or who they are going to see.

Babbling is the starting point for your baby's journey to using words, conversations and becoming a little talker!

Repeat repeat repeat!

Take a look at this video from BBC Tiny Happy People for some great information on repetition. The more often a baby hears a word the better. Repetition helps babies to learn to understand and use new words.

How does repetition help with a child's development? Repeating words allows your child to form an understanding and even attempt to imitate it. Toddlers need to hear the same sounds over and over and link them to patterns they see in the objects being named. Each repetition helps your child solidify the noun, verb, or adjective in their mind.