Taking turns to make noises is the first step towards having a conversation. Copy your baby's babbling noises, then look at them and wait for a 'reply'. Later on, babies begin to understand words by hearing you say them. Use simple words and phrases such as 'hello', 'more', 'gone' and 'eating dinner' whenever appropriate and name the things that your baby is looking at.
How should I talk to my toddler?
Talk about what your toddler is doing or looking at. This will make it easier for him or her to learn the meanings of the words you use. When your toddler says things, add one or two words to what they have said, for example, if your child says 'biscuit', you can say 'more biscuit' or 'baby's biscuit'. It is important that toddlers learn to listen, so keep away from any noisy distractions when you are playing together.
How can I extend my pre-school child's talking further?
Talk about things you are doing together and ask questions that show you are interested in what your child thinks. Try not to ask your child to name things for the sake of it and don't ask questions that you already know the answer to. Make sure that you have some special time for talking together each day.
How will my child's language develop?
By two years old, your child will use around 50 words and will be linking two words together. You should be able to understand their speech, but many words will be pronounced incorrectly. At three, your child will talk in sentences of four or five words and will be using some word endings (for example, the 's' in 'books' and the 'ing' in 'walking''). Some words will still be pronounced incorrectly, but most people will easily understand your child's speech. By four years, you will hear sentences that include words such as 'because' and 'if' and most regular word endings will be used correctly. At five, your child will use most speech sounds, although 'th' and 'r' may still not be clear.
How would I recognise if my child had a language difficulty?
Children all develop at different rates, but if your child is slow to achieve the milestones described above, you should talk to your health visitor. You should definitely seek advice if your child has difficulty understanding what you say.
When should I start reading with my child?
Young babies enjoy turning the pages of picture books made from cardboard or plastic and exposure to books at this age is helpful for later reading development. Point to the pictures and talk about what is in them. Toddlers enjoy books with flaps to lift up and, by three years old, most children can listen to a simple story that you read to them - however, they are too young to learn to read so don't try to teach them.
What else can I do to prepare my pre-school child for reading?
Good speech and language and an understanding of how to look at books both help a child learn to read. Another skill that is important is phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the awareness that spoken words are made up of syllables (for example, mu_mmy) and sounds (m_u_mm_y). It is not the same as phonics, which is knowledge of the letters in a written word.
Songs and nursery rhymes are a good introduction to phonological awareness as they teach children about the rhythms and patterns in speech (you can buy tapes of them).
By around three years, children should be able to clap the syllables in familiar words. Soon after, they start to enjoy playing with rhyming words. Make up strings of rhyming words - they don't all have to be real words - and encourage your child to join in. For older pre-school children, the game of 'I spy' is also good.
