Every Child a Talker

Every Child a Talker: Guidance for Early Language Lead Practitioners

Every Child a Talker: Guidance for Early Language Lead Practitioners

First published in 2008 Ref: 00854-2008DOM-EN

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1The National Strategies | Early Years Every Child a Talker: Guidance for Early Language Lead Practitioners

© Crown copyright 2008 00854-2008DOM-EN

ContentsForeword 2

Introduction 3

Your setting’s journey to Every Child a Talker 6

Stage 1 of the audit: Language provision in your setting 23

Stage 2 of the audit: Identifying priorities and training needs 36

Features of a communication-friendly setting 40

Top tips for talking: Ways in which practitioners can support and develop communication 47

Guidance on supporting children learning English as an Additional Language 53

Making the most of everyday activities: Ways in which practitioners can support and 58 develop children’s speech, language and communication

Effective practice in securing parental engagement 95

Resources 100

2 The National Strategies | Early Years Every Child a Talker: Guidance for Early Language Lead Practitioners

00854-2008DOM-EN © Crown copyright 2008

Foreword

Michael Rosen – Children’s LaureateIt may seem an obvious thing to say, but one of the best things we can do with young children is to have interesting and enjoyable conversations with them. What this means is that as we go about our activities, whether at home or at nursery, playgroups, playgrounds, the childminding situation, or out and about, we should make a special effort to answer children’s questions, point out things that interest us, involve children in helping and planning what to do next – whether that’s putting out things to play, tidying up, where to visit or whatever. When reading a book with children, make a special effort to read slowly, with lots of fun and expression. Don’t worry about stopping if the children ask you questions. Encourage them to join in with the sounds and rhythms of the story.

We should also think carefully about how we speak to children – do we spend too much of the day issuing commands: ‘do this’, ‘do that’? Do we ever say things that make children seem small by telling them that they’re slow or not good enough? We all need to think how we can keep being positive, encouraging them as they try to say things.

And we can find ways of showing them how the things they say can end up as writing, by writing what they say and displaying it. When we do this, this has to include everyone. No one can be missed out.

All this is crucial for how young children develop their powers of thinking and understanding. At the same time, it’s how they get to feel good about themselves. The two things are intertwined – feeling good about yourself, feeling confident enough to develop your thinking and understanding.

I wholeheartedly support Every Child a Talker, and I ‘m sure it’ll help all of us working with young children to focus on what will help every single child develop.

Michael Rosen



Introduction Welcome to Every Child a Talker: Guidance for Early Language Lead Practitioners. These materials are designed to support you both in developing your own role as a lead practitioner and in developing high quality language provision in your setting.

What is Every Child a Talker?Every Child a Talker (ECAT) is designed to help you and your colleagues create a developmentally appropriate, supportive and stimulating environment in which children can enjoy experimenting with and learning language. It can be implemented whether children are in Early Years settings, with a childminder or at home with their parents. Through everyday, fun and interesting activities which reflect children’s interests, ECAT will encourage early language development right from the outset, extending children’s vocabulary and helping them build sentences so that before they start school, children are confident and skilled communicators.

Improving practice in Early Years settings is important, but providing lots of opportunities for language learning in the home is vital – it makes the biggest difference to how well a child goes on to achieve. So as well as practitioners talking expressively to children as a matter of routine in the setting, Early Years practitioners should be encouraging the same practice by parents at home. ECAT will offer parents – fathers as well as mothers – ideas about how to support their child’s early language development such as using activities and songs, suggestions of different books, regular visits to the library and story-sharing sessions which parents can join too. ECAT will help to give you and your colleagues the skills and confidence to support parents more effectively, making good links between play and learning in the setting and play and learning at home. As practitioners, you will be talking regularly with parents about how well their child’s language is developing and will be sharing their learning journey.

As an Early Language lead practitioner, you will receive advice, training and support from your local Early Language consultant who has been appointed specifically to work with ECAT settings to make sure that they develop the very best early language provision so that every child really is a talker.

Why is it so important to focus on language development? Language is important because it forms the foundations for interacting with other people – for communicating our needs, our thoughts and our experiences. From the moment of birth, babies are ready to communicate: they listen to and look at people and things in their environment, and respond to what they hear and see. Even the youngest babies need a stimulating environment in which those who care for them respond sensitively to the different meanings of their cries, coos and gestures. This early ability to communicate verbally and non-verbally is the basis on which language is developed. A child’s ability to develop language depends on being immersed in a rich environment of words, sounds, rhythm, and verbal and non-verbal expression from birth.

However, we know that there are still many children starting school without the extended vocabulary and communication abilities which are so important for learning and for making friends. Disadvantaged children are especially prone to language delay, some having only a third of the vocabulary of other children. As children grow older, this early delay can lead to significant difficulties later on, particularly with reading and writing. ECAT is intended to help you give the right support to children from their earliest days so that if there are any difficulties they may be prevented from occurring in the first place, or picked up early so that children are given the help that they need.



How will ECAT work?Fifty-one local authorities (LAs) have been selected to participate in the first year of the three-year programme. Each of these LAs has selected 20 settings to participate in ECAT. You have been chosen or nominated to be the Early Language lead practitioner in one of those 20 settings which means that you and your colleagues will benefit from extra training and support to develop the very best early language provision. As part of the programme you will be offered specialist support from an Early Language consultant and have the opportunity to engage in a range of professional development opportunities. Funding provided through ECAT will mean that you have time to attend training, observe colleagues, discuss practice and visit other settings as well. The Early Language consultant will visit your setting regularly and will support you in developing best practice for children and also support you in your work with parents. There will be regular cluster meetings for all the ECAT settings in your LA which you are expected to attend. There will be an initial audit and assessment visit to get you started and later visits from the consultant will help you with observing and assessing the children’s language and planning the next steps.

It is important that you work closely with the Early Language consultant to monitor and evaluate the difference ECAT is making to children’s language learning.

What does involvement in ECAT mean for me and my setting?Involvement in ECAT provides an opportunity for you to become involved in a national programme which focuses on a national priority: strengthening children’s early language development. As the Early Language lead practitioner, you will have opportunities to improve your knowledge, skills and expertise in this important area through:

regular support from the Early Language consultant;•regular cluster meetings with the consultant and colleagues from other ECAT settings where there •will be an opportunity to discuss different ways of working and share solutions to practical issues;

attendance at local training and National Strategies events where appropriate;•careful observation and monitoring of children’s language development.•

As part of your role, you will:

audit and analyse the current early language provision in your setting and plan for improvements;•develop the quality of early language provision in your setting;•provide support to colleagues in developing their practice in supporting children’s early •language development;

carefully monitor the impact of ECAT on the quality of your provision and children’s progress;•support a linked setting to develop their language provision and practice;•share your learning and development with colleagues in your own and other settings.•



Introduction to the materialsThese materials are closely linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). You will see that many of them reflect the four themes: A Unique Child; Positive Relationships; Enabling Environments; and Learning and Development. The principles of the EYFS are at the heart of ECAT.

The materials will be developed and distributed to you in instalments throughout the first year of ECAT. This first instalment includes the following sections.

Audit tools for evaluating your current language provision and identifying priorities •for improvement.

Features of communication-friendly settings: what does one look and sound like?•Top tips for effective communication: how best to communicate with children.•Guidance on supporting children learning English as an Additional Language.•Making the most of everyday activities to promote language development.•Effective practice in securing parental engagement.•

The next instalment will include:

A set of activities designed to support the development of early language.•Examples of how to get the best language out of familiar, well-loved stories.•Sample sessions for parents and children to enjoy together.•Case studies describing successful practice.•

Getting started: the audit toolsThe first step on your journey is to undertake an audit of the current language provision in your setting so that you can decide on your starting point and what needs to be improved first. The ECAT materials include two audit tools and you are free to decide which one to use according to your local circumstances. The first one is a reflective process of self-evaluation based on the EYFS which takes you on a journey; the second is in the form of a grid which provides links to the EYFS practice cards and to the Speech, Language and Communication Framework (SLCF). Your Early Language consultant



will help you to make the right decision and to guide you through this process. If you are also involved in the Communication, Language and Literacy Development (CLLD) programme, you may already have completed an audit for that. If so, then you may continue to use it as your starting point for ECAT.

The SLCF supports the recognition and development of the appropriate skills and knowledge to effectively support children’s speech, language and communication development. The SLCF contributes to the Children’s Workforce Strategy and relates to the Integrated Qualifications Framework (IQF); it ranges from Level 2 through to Level 8 and links to the relevant National Occupational Standards for Early Years Professionals. Details of the SLCF can be found at www.communicationhelppoint.org.uk

Your setting’s journey to Every Child a Talker

What is an audit?An audit is a way of looking at and improving what goes on in your Early Years setting. It involves looking closely at where you would like to be and what are the ideals and goals for your setting. It then involves you evaluating what is happening right now and what you would like to change. An audit is a positive process that helps you to identify areas where you need help or guidance so that your setting can support children and staff in the best ways possible. There are different types of audit and this model is based on the idea of going on a journey.



This diagram explains the audit process in more detail:

The audit process can be seen as a kind of journey. In this case the final destination is a setting where every child is an effective communicator, where ‘every child is a talker’. Before starting on a journey, it’s important to make proper preparations – to evaluate where you are now and to decide what you want to take with you and what you want to leave behind. It’s also important to identify the road-blocks that you may encounter along your journey so that you can think about how to overcome these potential barriers to improvement. This evaluation process will help you to plan a route towards your destination. Every setting will have different needs and priorities and every setting’s journey will be different. Then comes the ongoing process of monitoring the progress of your journey, and the familiar question ‘Are we nearly there yet?’.

Note: For the purposes of this document we will describe the ‘destination’ as ‘Every Child a Talker’. There are of course, many other legitimate ways of communicating other than talking, such as the use of gestures, sign language or augmentative and alternative communication.



1. Destination: Every Child a TalkerBefore you set off on a journey, it is important to know where you are going. What would a setting look like where every child is a talker?

Spend some time reading through the following sections of this guidance:

Top tips for talking•Features of a communication-friendly setting•Effective practice in securing parental engagement•Guidance on supporting children with learning English as an Additional Language•

Speech, language and communication have been identified as an important area for Early Years settings and there is already a large amount of guidance and information available. The advice and ideas outlined in these resources can together give us a picture of what a rich language environment might look like.

Some ways to get to know your destinationThe following activities are intended to help staff to imagine what a setting where every child is a talker might look like. Take some time to read, talk, draw, write, think and observe. You may like to involve parents or other key people in these activities.

ImagineSpend some time as a staff group sharing ideas about what a setting where every child is a talker would look like. This is your chance to be creative and ‘think big’! If possible, make use of the advice given in the resources section. Set up a ‘graffiti wall’ (a large piece of paper on a wall or table) and encourage everyone to write or draw ideas as they think and talk. What activities would be set up? What would the children be doing? What would the staff be doing? What kinds of policies and paperwork would there be available?



Draw an outline of a person (you can draw round a willing staff member or a child if you like). Think about what knowledge and skills practitioners would have in a setting where every child is a talker. Write the attributes around your outline to build the ‘perfect staff member’.

Knowledge about how language develops

Concern and care for children

Plenty of useful resources

Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

InspireArrange a visit to an Early Years setting that you or your Early Language consultant knows is a model of good practice. It doesn’t have to be close by, why not go further afield and make it a day out? Try to look past the differences between your setting and theirs (for example, if they have specialist resources or a well-designed outdoor space), use the visit to inspire and enthuse about what is possible for your staff and setting.



2. Preparing for the journey: EvaluationThe following evaluation tool is intended to allow all staff members to reflect on aspects of your Early Years setting and their own role within it. It is not an exhaustive audit of every aspect of your setting and definitely not an inspection. It is an improvement tool designed to help you to identify your setting’s strengths and needs and so begin to make the journey towards the kind of destination that you have been imagining.

Your Early Language consultant can help to guide you through the activities. Try to involve as many staff members as possible so that all staff are included in the changes and developments that will happen as a result.

The evaluation is divided into four sections, relating to the four key themes of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The EYFS underpins everything that goes on within an Early Years setting and each of the key themes of the EYFS can support children’s speech, language and communication in a different way.

This diagram illustrates the EYFS at work within a setting. The children in your setting are at the centre of all your work (A Unique Child). The children are surrounded by Positive Relationships (with parents, staff and other key people) and Enabling Environments (both physical and emotional). Learning and Development occurs throughout.

Early Years setting

Enabling Environments

Positive Relationships

A Unique Child

Learning and Development

The evaluation is structured as follows.

A core evaluation activity• relating to the EYFS theme and principle.

These activities should take no more than 45 minutes and are designed to be tools for individual and group reflection.

A list of existing nationally available tools and further reading• .

These can be used to supplement and enhance your evaluations and may give examples of more structured, systematic and quantitative evaluation tools (your Early Language Consultant will be aware of locally available resources that may also be relevant). This includes further reading for those that are interested and links to other relevant national guidance.

A summary of the outcomes• that you should record.

These will be used later when identifying your priorities and making plans.



A Unique ChildEvaluating how your setting supports the unique speech, language and communication skills of every child.

EYFS Principle: Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

Core activityTime: 30 minutes

Resources: pen, paper, list of children

Think about all of the children in your Early Years setting and the ways in which they express themselves or communicate. Every child is different, although children can share similarities. Some of the ‘types’ of communicators you may have in your setting are listed below (you may be able to think of more or different categories).

Early communicator:• a child whose communication needs to be interpreted by adults, e.g. a baby who is crying because she is hungry.

Attentive communicator:• a child who is using some gestures and some words to communicate, e.g. pointing and saying ‘mummy gone’.

Developing communicator:• a child who can communicate but finds it difficult to make sentences or pronounce some sounds in words.

Questioning communicator:• a child who uses simple sentences to communicate and asks questions to find out more.

Skilled communicator:• a child who communicates in the way that you would expect for his/her age (using words, using sentences, telling stories).

English as an Additional Language learner:• a child who can communicate effectively in their own language but has not yet learnt English.

Reluctant communicator:• a child who needs lots of encouragement to communicate or who is ‘shy’, but is otherwise a competent communicator.

Try to place each of the children in your setting under one of these headings. Which children do you think you are supporting well in their speech and language development? Which children are making good progress? Underline their names in red.

Which children need more support than is currently provided? Underline their names in blue.

Outcomes

A record of the number of children who are red (well supported) and blue (need further support).•An improved awareness of which ‘types’ of children need more support than is currently •provided in your setting.

Additional resources For more information about the individual communication skills of each child, access staff •observations or reports written by other professionals (e.g. speech and language therapists, educational or clinical psychologists, portage workers).



The ages and stages section of the • EYFS may help you to place children’s developmental level. You will also be able to match these descriptors to the tool for monitoring children’s progress with the help of your Early Language consultant.

www.earlysupport.org.uk• provides information about support for disabled children.

Section 1:21 of the Inclusion Development Programme •www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/features/inclusion/sen/idp provides opportunities to reflect on your practice in supporting individual children.



Positive RelationshipsEvaluating the frequency of interactions between staff and children that support the children’s speech, language and communication.

EYFS Principle: Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.


Resources: pen and paper

For this evaluation activity each staff member must first work alone.

Think about times when you have had good experiences involving children and talking. Write down three of your best memories. Give a name to each memory and write a short sentence to describe it.

For example: discovering a snail in the garden – three children found a snail and we all crowded round talking about it, how it looked and felt.

After you have written your three top memories, go back over them and write another sentence about why they were good talking experiences.

For example: It was good because I took time to talk about what the children were interested in, we weren’t in a rush and all three children were able to join in.

Collect all these sentences together as a staff group and underline words that stand out or themes that are common.

For example: It was good because I took time to talk about what the children were interested in, we weren’t in a rush and all three children were able to join in.

These are the existing skills of the staff and should be celebrated. Now ask each person to think about these positive interactions. How often does each person estimate that they engage with children in positive interactions such as these? Ask each staff member to think carefully and to write down one of the following options: A, B, C, D or E on a piece of paper.

More than 3 times a dayA.

1–3 times a dayB.

Once a dayC.

Once a weekD.

Less than once a weekE.

Collect in the slips of paper and collate the results.

Outcome

An estimated frequency for the whole staff team of how often positive interactions occur.•



Additional resourcesStaff can further reflect on their own skills through use of the Speech, Language and •Communication Framework (SLCF) which can be found at www.communicationhelppoint.org.uk

Video can be a useful reflective tool when thinking about adult–child interaction. Ask your •Early Language consultant if they would be willing to organise a video-led self-reflection session for staff.



Enabling EnvironmentsEvaluating how the environment that your setting creates supports the speech, language and communication development of the children.

EYFS Principle: The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.


Resources: large piece of paper; black, red and blue pens

Make a drawing of the layout of your setting, including inside and outside space.

It might look a bit like this:

Toilets Book corner

Outside play space

SandMark- making table

The environment in which children play and learn can increase the opportunities for communication, using and understanding language. Other aspects of the environment can discourage talking, for example if a CD is playing music loudly.

Think about places in the setting where good talking takes place (this may be places where children initiate talk or where lots of talking takes place by children). Take a red pen and mark with a cross where the talking ‘hot-spots’ are: places where adults and children engage in conversation or where children talk to each other. Add one cross if talking takes place there sometimes, and more crosses if it takes place there a lot.

Take a blue pen and mark with a circle the places where you think talking could take place but does not at the moment.

Outcomes

A record of the number of red ‘areas where talking occurs’ and blue ‘areas for improvement’ •markings.

A list of the places where talking could be taking place but does not at present.•

Additional resourcesThe Communication Friendly Spaces toolkit: Improving speaking and listening skills in the Early Years •Foundation Stage contains an audit workbook that could help you to plan and further improve your setting environment.



Community Playthings provide guidance and information about room layout, furniture and •design of the Early Years environment (www.communityplaythings.com).

EYFS section 3 ‘Enabling Environments’ provides information, opportunities for reflective practice •and further reading.



Learning and DevelopmentEvaluating how the activities and set-up of your Early Years setting support the speech, language and communication of children throughout the day.

EYFS Principle: Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of learning and development are equally important and interconnected.


Resources: large piece of paper; black, blue and red pens

Draw a time line, listing everything that happens during your setting’s day. Here is an example:

Staff arrive Setting up Parents bring children Free play Circle time

➞

➞

➞

➞

➞

8:00 8:45 – 9:00 9:00 – 9:30 9:30 – 10:00

Talking does not happen all of the time. During certain activities, children need to listen to instructions or be directed (e.g. when a situation could be dangerous, like crossing a road). However, there are many opportunities for talking throughout the day. Does your setting make the most of every opportunity for talking?

Think about times of the day when good talking (both adult–child and child–child) takes place. Mark these ‘talking hotspots’ with a red pen. With a blue pen, mark the times when ‘child talking’ could take place but doesn’t at the moment.

Outcomes

A record of the number of marks in red (times when good talking occurs) and blue (times •when talking is not taking place).

A list of times of day when talking could take place but does not at present.•

Additional resourcesEYFS guidance provides ideas, background information and further reading to support planning •and reflecting on learning and development.

You will find lots of useful suggestions to develop children’s language in the ‘Making the most of •everyday activities’ section of this resource.



3. Barriers

Progress so farThrough imagining and being inspired by yourselves and others, you should now have developed a clear picture of what a setting where every child is a talker might look like. You should also have identified a number of ways in which your setting is already positively supporting children’s speech, language and communication development, demonstrating that you have already started your journey towards a setting where every child is a talker.

You should have discussed and recorded the following.

Children who you are supporting well (• A Unique Child).

Experiences of good quality interactions between adults and children (• Positive Relationships).

A list of areas of the Early Years setting where talking is encouraged (• Enabling Environments).

A list of times of the day or activities during which speech, language and communication are •currently being developed (Learning and Development).

Road-blocksWhat are the things that are preventing your setting from reaching your destination? Why don’t the positive things that are happening in your setting happen all of the time? This activity will help you to identify potential barriers to improvement and change.


Resources: pens, sticky notes, larger pieces of paper

Look carefully at the positives and the areas for development that you have identified.

Ask each staff member to take a pile of sticky notes and write one potential barrier to change on each note. For example: I don’t know how; We don’t have enough resources; I don’t have time. Try to be as specific and detailed as possible.

Group the sticky notes under the following headings:

Knowledge and skills•Resources•



Organisation and planning•Policies, systems and paperwork•Motivation and ability to prioritise this project.•

Outcome

A comprehensive list of difficulties and stumbling blocks for your staff and setting.•



4. Priorities and plansAs with all journeys, it is unlikely that your setting will reach the destination of Every Child a Talker straight away. This section will help you to plan the route towards your destination, where you are going next and to identify the priorities. As with the other activities, it’s important to include as many people as possible in these discussions.

Using the evaluation tools, you have thought carefully about your setting and have recorded some outcomes that may suggest areas for improvement:

A list of children who you are not supporting well (• A Unique Child).

An awareness of how frequently (or infrequently) positive adult–child interactions are occurring •(Positive Relationships).

A list of areas in the Early Years setting where communication could be encouraged further •(Enabling Environments).

A list of times of the day or activities during which speech, language and communication could be •further developed (Learning and Development).

You have also identified barriers to potential progress and grouped them into broader focus areas.

Now it is necessary to think more specifically about exactly which of these areas for development your staff and setting will focus on, planning realistic time-frames and identifying the resources and support that will be needed for the journey.


Resources: paper, pens, counters, groups of sticky notes from road-blocks activity above

As a setting and as individuals you will each have a limited amount of resources: time, funding, energy, motivation, capacity, and ideas. Ask each staff member to take up to five counters. These counters represent units of resource and by choosing how many counters to take, each staff member is choosing how much commitment they are willing to put into the journey towards Every Child a Talker. Each staff member must take at least one counter.

Lay out the sheets of paper containing the sticky notes grouped into focus areas. Ask each staff member to distribute their counters according to which of these areas are most important and, in their opinion, should be focused upon or prioritised by your setting. Counters can be distributed however each staff member wishes (e.g. all counters can be placed on one sheet). All counters must be used up.

Which focus areas have the most counters? Does this reflect the majority opinion about which focus area for development should be prioritised? Some discussion and negotiation may be necessary.

Follow-up and action planning It is now necessary to make a specific plan about how improvements and changes can be made. Any improvements should enhance the development of speech, language and communication across all aspects of the EYFS: the children, the adult–child relationships, the environment and the learning and development that takes place.

Using the strengths, needs, areas for development and priorities identified by the whole staff team, as the Early Language lead practitioner (ELLP) you will now work together with your Early Language consultant to write an action plan specifically for your setting. The action plan should be specific, outlining exactly what needs to be done, by whom and by when, and what resources you will need. Here is an example of what an action plan might look like.



Aim Steps needed to reach the aim

By whom By when Resources needed

Monitoring

Increase staff knowledge about speech and language development

Assess existing skills

Make an individual plan for each staff member

Attend training courses

Each staff member

ELLP and staff

All staff

October 4th

Week beginning October 7th

As arranged

SLCF audit tool

Access to computer

Completed audits

List of available training courses

Funding for staff cover

✓

✓

Increase the number of opportunities for small-group work

Identify points of the day where small-group work could occur

Choose two points where small-group work could occur

Implement small-group work

ELLP

ELLP and staff

All staff

November 6th

Staff meeting November 7th

Week beginning November 9th

Outline of timetable for day

List of possible points

---

✓



Stage 1 of the audit: Language provision in your settingThis is the second tool for auditing the language provision in your setting. You only need to carry out one audit. Choose the one which seems to most suit your needs. If you are also part of the Communication, Language and Literacy (CLLD) programme, you may have already completed an audit. If so, you may choose to continue to use it as your starting point for development.

This audit is also based on the four themes of the EYFS:

A Unique Child

Positive Relationships

Enabling Environments

Learning and Development

Each section has a set of questions or prompts about practitioners’ awareness, knowledge and skills and the provision in the setting which supports children’s speech, language and communication development. There are also links to the EYFS Principles into Practice cards, the Speech, Language and Communication Framework (SLCF) and suggestions of where to access training and learning opportunities to help you and your team to develop essential skills for developing high quality early language provision.

You will need to work through the questions together as a staff group, with the help of your Early Language consultant. You should think carefully about what the provision in your setting is like currently, and note down whether it is successful and what else you could do to improve. That is the first stage of the process. Once you have completed the audit you will need to use the next section, ‘Identifying priorities’, to decide the most important steps to take for your setting.



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k w

ith p

eers

or m

anag

ers o

n ob

serv

atio

n sk

ills



EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

ds:

1.2

Incl

usiv

e Pr

acti

ce

1.3

Keep

ing

Safe

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

How

wel

l do

prac

titio

ners

pro

mot

e eq

ual a

cces

s to

child

ren

and

fam

ilies

? Ca

n yo

u gi

ve e

xam

ples

of h

ow y

ou

valu

e, w

elco

me

and

supp

ort f

amili

es?

This

may

incl

ude:

wel

com

e in

form

atio

n• di

spla

ys in

the

sett

ing

whi

ch sh

ow

• staf

f pho

togr

aphs

and

nam

es,

timet

able

s, w

elco

me

gree

tings

and

cu

rric

ulum

info

rmat

ion

disc

ussi

ons w

ith p

aren

ts to

ens

ure

• that

the

need

s of e

very

chi

ld a

re m

et

prov

idin

g op

port

uniti

es fo

r par

ents

to

• disc

uss t

heir

conc

erns

a w

arm

wel

com

e fo

r all

visi

tors

•

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

G1

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d to

ac

cess

trai

ning

for:

Equa

l opp

ortu

nitie

s and

W

orki

ng in

par

tner

ship

w

ith p

aren

t/ca

rers

The

sett

ing

prac

titio

ners

to

dev

elop

and

mai

ntai

n a

polic

y fo

r the

supp

ort a

nd

wel

com

e of

fam

ilies

and

ch

ildre

n

EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

1.4

Hea

lth

and

Wel

l-bei

ng

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

How

wel

l do

the

prac

titio

ners

supp

ort

child

ren’

s com

mun

icat

ion

need

s in

a gr

oup

and/

or in

divi

dual

ly? C

an y

ou

give

exa

mpl

es?

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

D1/

D2

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d to

acc

ess t

rain

ing

for

beha

viou

ral,

emot

iona

l an

d so

cial

dev

elop

men

t an

d re

sear

ch lo

cal p

olic

ies

for i

nvol

vem

ent o

f ou

tsid

e ag

enci

es w

here

ap

prop

riate



Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

2.1

Resp

ecti

ng E

ach

Oth

er

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

How

do

prac

titio

ners

pro

mot

e po

sitiv

e co

mm

unic

atio

ns w

ith c

hild

ren

and

adul

ts?

This

is e

vide

nt in

chi

ldre

n, w

ho:

are

enco

urag

ed to

talk

abo

ut th

eir

• own

inte

rest

s oth

er th

an ju

st th

e ta

sk

in h

and

are

enco

urag

ed to

spea

k in

gro

ups t

o • ch

ildre

n an

d ad

ults

, as w

ell a

s dur

ing

free

pla

y

have

opp

ortu

nitie

s for

supp

orte

d • co

nver

satio

n w

ith th

eir p

eers

as w

ell

as o

ppor

tuni

ties t

o in

tera

ct w

ith th

eir

peer

s with

out a

dult

intr

usio

n

have

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

shar

e bo

oks

• with

thei

r pee

rs

have

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

use

thei

r ow

n • la

ngua

ge if

Eng

lish

is n

ot th

eir f

irst

lang

uage

This

is e

vide

nt in

adu

lts w

ho:

use

sim

ple

repe

titiv

e la

ngua

ge d

urin

g • ev

eryd

ay a

ctiv

ities

gain

chi

ldre

n’s a

tten

tion

befo

re

• deliv

erin

g in

stru

ctio

ns

talk

at a

n ap

prop

riate

rate

usi

ng sh

ort

• sent

ence

s

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

C1/C

2/C3

/C4/

C5

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d to

con

side

r the

EYF

S Pr

inci

ples

and

may

nee

d ac

cess

to fu

rthe

r tra

inin

g in

com

mun

icat

ion

deve

lopm

ent t

o en

sure

th

at p

ract

ition

ers c

an

prom

ote

com

mun

icat

ion

in a

sett

ing



EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

2.1

Resp

ecti

ng E

ach

Oth

er (c

onti

nued

)

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

adap

t the

ir la

ngua

ge to

the

leve

l of

• the

child

’s

mod

el th

e co

rrec

t sen

tenc

e w

hen

• they

hea

r a c

hild

’s in

corr

ect u

tter

ance

exte

nd th

e ch

ild’s

utte

ranc

es

• (see

info

rmat

ion

in ‘F

eatu

res o

f co

mm

unic

atio

n-fr

iend

ly se

ttin

gs’

sect

ion

of th

is g

uida

nce)

enco

urag

e ch

ildre

n to

ask

que

stio

ns

• use

voca

bula

ry c

hild

ren

can

• unde

rsta

nd in

eve

ryda

y in

stru

ctio

ns

give

chi

ldre

n tim

e to

resp

ond

• give

a ru

nnin

g co

mm

enta

ry o

n • th

e ch

ild’s

activ

ity ra

ther

than

ask

qu

estio

ns, m

ost o

f the

tim

e

use

natu

ral g

estu

re a

nd fa

cial

• ex

pres

sion

to su

ppor

t lan

guag

e

EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

2.2

Pare

nts a

s Par

tner

s

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

Info

rmat

ion

link

with

1.2

in ‘A

Uni

que

Child

’ sec

tion

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

A8 B7 D2

G1/G

2

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d to

ac

cess

trai

ning



EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

2.3

Supp

orti

ng L

earn

ing

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

Prac

titio

ners

can

dem

onst

rate

ap

proa

ches

in th

eir e

very

day

prac

tice

whi

ch su

ppor

t chi

ldre

n’s c

omm

unic

atio

n de

velo

pmen

t by:

ensu

ring

that

all

child

ren

have

the

• oppo

rtun

ity to

inte

ract

1:1

with

an

adul

t if t

hey

wis

h

spea

king

sens

itive

ly to

shy

or

• unse

ttle

d ch

ildre

n

help

ing

child

ren

to se

ttle

whe

n th

ey

• arriv

e if

need

ed

play

ing

alon

gsid

e ch

ildre

n w

ithou

t • al

way

s dire

ctin

g th

eir p

lay

mod

ellin

g w

ords

and

sent

ence

s • ap

prop

riate

ly in

resp

onse

to c

hild

ren’

s de

velo

ping

spee

ch a

nd la

ngua

ge

enco

urag

ing

child

ren’

s • in

depe

nden

ce a

nd se

lf-co

nfid

ence

by

ackn

owle

dgin

g al

l effo

rts

faci

litat

ing

shar

ed p

lay

and

turn

-• ta

king

mod

ellin

g ac

tiviti

es a

nd ta

lkin

g ab

out

• wha

t the

y ar

e do

ing

mod

ellin

g a

rang

e of

pos

itive

• be

havi

our a

nd la

ngua

ge

help

ing

child

ren

to d

evel

op a

nd

• exte

nd im

agin

ary

play

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

A4/A

7/A8

B4/B

5

C1/C

2/C3

E1 F1

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d to

con

side

r the

Prin

cipl

es

of th

e EY

FS a

nd c

onsi

der

acce

ss to

furt

her t

rain

ing

in c

omm

unic

atio

n de

velo

pmen

t; ac

cess

re

sour

ces s

uch

as I

CAN

’s Le

arni

ng to

Talk

: Tal

king

to

Lear

n D

VD a

nd a

ppro

pria

te

web

site

s



EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

2.3

Supp

orti

ng L

earn

ing

(con

tinu

ed)

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

supp

ortin

g ou

tdoo

r pla

y by

• m

odel

ling

lang

uage

bas

ed o

n th

e ch

ild’s

activ

ities

and

enc

oura

ging

pe

er in

tera

ctio

n

usin

g qu

estio

ns th

at in

vite

• co

nver

satio

n or

enc

oura

ging

re

ason

ing

skill

s rat

her t

han

yes/

no

answ

ers

resp

ondi

ng p

ositi

vely

to c

hild

ren’

s • ef

fort

s to

com

mun

icat

e

givi

ng c

lear

exp

ecta

tions

of r

ules

• lett

ing

child

ren

know

of e

xpec

ted

• chan

ges t

o th

e da

y, e

.g. v

isit

of d

entis

t

activ

ely

supp

ortin

g ch

ildre

n in

solv

ing

• thei

r pro

blem

s and

dis

pute

s

resp

ectin

g th

e ch

ild’s

othe

r lan

guag

es

• whe

re re

leva

nt, i

.e. h

ome

lang

uage

(if

not E

nglis

h), s

ign

lang

uage



EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

2.4

Key

Pers

on

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

t W

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

As a

key

per

son

desc

ribe

the

proc

ess

and

prov

ide

evid

ence

of h

ow y

ou

have

supp

orte

d a

child

who

has

ad

ditio

nal n

eeds

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

E1/E

2/E3

/E4/

E5/E

6

F1/F

2

G1/G

2

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d

to re

view

a c

hild

’s re

cord

to

iden

tify:

how

the

prac

titio

ner h

as

• reco

rded

obs

erva

tions

an

d co

mpa

red

prog

ress

with

typi

cal

deve

lopm

ent

how

the

prac

titio

ner

• has w

orke

d co

llabo

rativ

ely

with

ot

her p

rofe

ssio

nals



Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

3.1.

Obs

erva

tion

, Ass

essm

ent a

nd

Plan

ning

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

tW

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

Doe

s the

pla

nnin

g pr

omot

e a

bala

nced

ap

proa

ch to

adu

lt-di

rect

ed a

nd fr

eely

ch

osen

act

iviti

es? H

ow d

o yo

u en

sure

th

at y

our p

lann

ing

incl

udes

:

EYFS

Prin

cipl

es?

• flexi

bilit

y to

resp

ond

to sp

onta

neou

s • ev

ents

(suc

h as

snow

fall)

?

daily

obs

erva

tions

and

ana

lysi

s?• re

gula

r upd

ate

of le

arni

ng re

cord

s?• op

port

uniti

es to

reco

rd p

aren

ts’ v

iew

s • an

d co

ntrib

utio

ns?

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

B1 C1/C

2/C3

/C4/

C5

F1

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d to

acc

ess t

rain

ing

on th

e EY

FS P

rinci

ples

, pla

nnin

g,

obse

rvat

ion

and

reco

rd-

keep

ing

and

acce

ss

appr

opria

te in

form

atio

n th

roug

h a

varie

ty o

f so

urce

s, e.

g. w

ebsi

tes,

publ

icat

ions

, etc

.



EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

ds:

3.2

Supp

orti

ng E

very

Chi

ld

3.3

The

Lear

ning

Env

iron

men

t

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

tW

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

Doe

s the

sett

ing

prov

ide

a le

arni

ng

envi

ronm

ent w

hich

supp

orts

chi

ldre

n’s

spee

ch, l

angu

age

and

com

mun

icat

ion

deve

lopm

ent a

nd in

clud

e:

reso

urce

s tha

t are

ava

ilabl

e fo

r fre

e

• play

and

eas

ily re

ache

d by

the

child

ren

or e

asily

with

in th

eir l

ine

of

vis

ion?

equi

pmen

t tha

t is a

vaila

ble

in b

oxes

• cl

early

labe

lled

with

a p

ictu

re o

r sy

mbo

l?

an e

nviro

nmen

t with

wel

l-def

ined

• ar

eas?

quie

t are

as o

r are

as u

sed

for s

tory

time

• that

are

less

visu

ally

dist

ract

ing?

outd

oor p

lay

with

imag

inat

ive

role

-• pl

ay so

me

of th

e tim

e?

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

A1/A

8

B4 C2 D1/

D2

E1 G1

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d to

acc

ess t

rain

ing

to

deve

lop

know

ledg

e an

d sk

ills t

o su

ppor

t chi

ldre

n’s

spee

ch, l

angu

age

and

com

mun

icat

ion

deve

lopm

ent a

nd a

cces

s ap

prop

riate

info

rmat

ion

and

reso

urce

s



EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

3.4

The

Wid

er C

onte

xt

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

tW

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

Des

crib

e th

e sy

stem

s tha

t the

sett

ing

has

in p

lace

to sh

are

info

rmat

ion

with

:

othe

r set

tings

that

a c

hild

may

als

o be

• at

tend

ing

pare

nts

• othe

r pro

fess

iona

ls w

orki

ng w

ith th

e • ch

ild a

nd fa

mily

sett

ings

that

a c

hild

will

tran

sfer

to•

Uni

vers

al

com

pete

nces

:

C5 E1/E

2/E3

/E4/

E5/E

6

G1/G

2

Prac

titio

ners

may

nee

d tr

aini

ng to

com

plet

e th

e Co

mm

on A

sses

smen

t Fr

amew

ork

(CAF

)



Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t

EYFS

Pri

ncip

les i

nto

Prac

tice

Car

d:

4.1

Play

and

Exp

lora

tion

SLCF

Cont

inui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elop

men

tW

hat i

s the

ev

iden

ce?

Wha

t is s

ucce

ssfu

l an

d w

hy?

Wha

t im

prov

emen

ts

are

need

ed?

Do

prac

titio

ners

regu

larly

pro

vide

pl

ay a

ctiv

ities

to su

ppor

t chi

ldre

n’s

spee

ch, l

angu

age

and

com

mun

icat

ion

deve

lopm

ent b

y pr

ovid

ing

op

port

uniti

es to

:

exte

nd a

nd d

evel

op p

lay

thro

ugh

• stim

ulat

ing

reso

urce

s?

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Stage 2 of the audit: Identifying priorities and training needsAuditing each setting’s provision for language support is the first stage of the process of improvement with the aim of developing children’s speech, language and communication skills more effectively.

The next stage is to identify and plan areas for development. However, once you have started out on the audit, the whole process becomes ongoing as this diagram shows:

Each of these areas is covered in more detail on the pages that follow.

Audit of language provisionYou will now have completed the audit tool in the previous section which has given you a structure for evaluating the skills and knowledge of staff within your setting and which recognises good language practices. The ‘Features of communication-friendly settings’ section of this guidance adds further information on how to use the environment and resources to support communication and language development.

It is important to carry out a review of the audit and priorities regularly – for example, once a year – to make sure that you are considering all aspects of your setting in relation to speech, language and communication development and support.



Identify areas that would benefit from improvement The audit will have highlighted areas which currently support communication development in your setting. It also provides information on different aspects that are not yet in place. These areas for development can be grouped together to identify key targets for improvement.

Prioritise improvementsYou will probably have identified a number of areas in your setting that could benefit from improvement. However, some of these may be more important than others and may be relatively easy to address. Some of them may be appropriate to implement immediately, requiring little change. Others may require more detailed planning, including further training for practitioners.

It will be important to discuss the priorities with your Early Language consultant or other local professionals as they will be able to point you in the direction of useful support or training.

The mechanism of improvementWhen considering your priorities it is important to think about how improvements can be planned for and managed. Each selected improvement may be supported through one or more of the following:

staff team meeting discussions;•practitioner research, e.g. a practitioner may visit a known local centre of excellence;•outside support and advice, e.g. Early Language consultant;•training of individuals or whole staff;•purchasing or renewing materials;•reorganisation of staff, routines or environment.•

If you decide that further training is required, the Early Language consultant can provide guidance in accessing training. It may be something specific that the consultant can carry out for you, or it may be more appropriate to go on a local course or to access national training. Local training courses may be available through the LA or through the local speech and language therapy department.

If all members of staff need the same training, it is worth planning carefully so that all members can train together. This has the added benefit of making sure that all staff get the same message on the same day. This will greatly assist your setting in planning and making any changes.



If all the staff in your setting have completed the Speech, Language and Communication Framework (SLCF), you will be able to cross-reference their training needs with the needs of the setting as a whole.

The SLCF can also signpost you to relevant training. It is important to remember that successful training goes beyond merely attending courses. The lead practitioner in a setting can help to ensure that the training becomes embedded into practice. Courses may suggest activities that can be carried out in the setting which will help practitioners think about their developing skills.

Organisations such as I CAN, Elklan and Hanen also offer national courses that might be available locally or further afield.

Make improvementsBy this stage in the process, you will have prioritised your setting’s development needs and decided how you will achieve them. An action plan, or improvement development plan, will help ensure that you have thought about how improvements will be made in each of your prioritised areas.

The table below is an example of a format for an action/development plan that you can use when thinking about improvements. An example is shown in the first line. It will be necessary to think sensitively around the timescale for making improvements, so that other planned changes or pressures in your setting are taken into consideration.

This improvement cycle is continuous and settings with good practice will want to reconsider their audit on a regular basis to take into account changes and progress within the setting.



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Features of a communication-friendly settingA communication-friendly setting is about the whole learning environment. It is not just about the building you are in or the types of resources and materials that you provide for the children. Communication-friendly settings:

can be made with very few resources;•do not require spacious, purpose-built accommodation;•are about the ways in which the adults listen to and talk with, interact and play with the children;•involve planning and providing opportunities that interest and excite the children and make them •want to talk;

feature responding to children’s attempts to communicate to help them develop their speech and •language skills.

You will find guidance on how best to communicate with children in the ‘Top tips’ section of this guidance and it will also be helpful to refer to the ‘Making the most of everyday activities’ section as well.

Using the four themes of the EYFS, think about the following statements which illustrate good practice in a communication-friendly setting.

A Unique ChildEYFS Principle: Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. There is much we can do to support this by developing a communication-friendly setting. The practitioner is an equal part of the environment and the practitioner’s actions can enhance the environment for the child. To make your setting communication-friendly, you should make sure that everyone:

responds positively and values all attempts at communication which may include non-verbal •communication such as simple gestures, body language or signing as well as spoken language;

supports children’s communication needs, both in group situations and one-to-one, using •appropriate levels of language for all children depending on their age and stage of development. The examples below show how the practitioner extends language and prepares the child for the next stage. The length of the child’s utterance indicates the child’s developmental level.



Child’s spoken language Adult’s response How does this response help?

Milk (Child empties beaker)

Milk gone Reinforces correct use of milk and gives example of two-word sentence showing next stage of development

I’ve made a tunnel Yes, you’ve made a long dark tunnel

Extends child’s language, modelling more challenging vocabulary

No verbal communication but baby smiles when he sees dinner

Dinner! (Practitioner says ‘dinner’ several times as isolated word)

Gives child naming vocabulary and models next stage of language development

I need to make my track work I wonder what shape you need it to be?

Models use of more advanced vocabulary and challenges child’s thinking

Positive RelationshipsEYFS Principle: Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person.

You and your staff in the team are the main resource in a communication-friendly setting. Adults’ interactions with both peers and children provide opportunities for learning and using language. Good relationships with parents will lead to exchange of knowledge about the child’s communication skills.

Building positive relationships in a communication-friendly setting means that everyone:

encourages children to talk about their own interests at appropriate times. By acknowledging •all efforts at communication it shows that the child is valued. This will help build a positive relationship and support the child’s independence and self-confidence;

who works with babies uses their knowledge of the baby and sensitive observation to interpret •the baby’s wants, needs and feelings and reflect these back in simple language (‘you’re happy/sad/ angry/tired’; ‘you think that’s funny’; ‘you don’t like it; you want the…’);

uses time spent on physical care with babies and very young children (such as nappy changing •and washing hands) as an opportunity to interact with them and form a positive relationship;

talks to young children and babies before carrying out physical care tasks, e.g. ‘I’m going to help •you put on some clean clothes’;

supports children in both free play and group times encouraging them to speak. This may mean •playing silently alongside a child initially without asking questions or giving instructions and being very sensitive to shy or unsettled children;

makes some one-to-one time for children to talk to an adult so that their turn does not necessarily •take place in front of others;

uses positive language and behaviour with, and in front of, children;•lets children know of changes to the day’s routine. This will help children to understand what •will be happening and what the expectations of them will be (a visual timetable can be useful to support this);



encourages children to share books with each other;•ensures that children have the opportunity to speak in their own language if English is not their •first language. It is important that children develop their first language securely, as this will help them move on to learn English;

supports children’s language development by ensuring the child’s attention is gained before •giving instructions. By using the child’s name first, the child is more likely to realise that he or she is being spoken to. Very young children are not able to attend to what they are doing and listen to language at the same time, so it is important they can give their full attention when someone is talking to them. Around the age of four most children will be able to attend to simple activities while listening;

is responsive to those children who have speech or language immaturities or who find it difficult •to use the correct speech sounds in words. To support the development of the child’s speech, the skilled practitioner will model the correct pronunciation of the word. This means that if a child says, ‘It’s a dod’, the adult – rather than drawing attention to the immaturity – will say, ‘That’s right, it’s a dog’. This is also true for children who are beginning to experiment with grammar. For example, it is common for four-year-olds to apply rules of grammar across all verbs and add an -ed ending such as ‘I ranned’. The skilled practitioner will positively model the correct way, ‘You ran very fast’, but will not ask the child to repeat the correct sentence.

thinks carefully before asking questions. Questions can be used to extend the child’s thinking and •learning, or simply to test. Testing young children by asking questions to which the practitioner already knows the answer does not help support language development. Questions that are merely testing, e.g. ‘What colour is it?’ or that invite simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers can interrupt the flow of communication and stilt natural conversation. Children respond better to comments on their activity, e.g. ‘You have made a very tall tower’. The commenting approach encourages the child to talk and keeps the child’s attention on the task;

gives plenty of time for children to respond. The child needs to process the adult’s language, think •about what they would like to say and then formulate the words. Young children who are just learning these skills need longer time. If children aren’t given enough time to respond, the adult’s language will dominate the conversation and will discourage the child from talking. Babies should also be given time to respond in interactions and their responses may be coos, smiles or other facial expressions. It takes very young babies time to organise the muscles in their faces to make their responses;

supports and helps children to resolve disputes and problems. As children become more •proficient with language they will be more likely to draw on their language skills to settle problems rather than use physical force. It can help to acknowledge the problem and help the children to find a solution based on their ideas.



Enabling EnvironmentsEYFS Principle: The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning.

This is particularly true in the area of communication. When planning your environment it is important to consider your observations of the child’s communication needs. A communication-friendly setting:

has displays that children want to talk about. Even if the setting is in a village hall where you have •to pack away every day, objects, photos and paintings can be displayed on tables. If the children have the opportunity to help with a display they are more likely to talk about it;

keeps toys and resources at child height so that children can reach them;•keeps toys and resources in boxes that are labelled with pictures or symbols;•has a well-planned environment where it is clear to the child what happens there, e.g. there is a •painting area with a sink close by. Even in a village hall situation it is possible to define areas using play-mats and moveable furniture. Children will feel more confident and secure, and are therefore more likely to talk, if the environment makes sense to them. It may be necessary to put the same activity out several times before a shy or reluctant child has the confidence to take part and talk about it;

has some quiet areas where children can talk to each other and form relationships. Often children •feel more secure in small, well-defined areas. This might be the book corner or even a temporary den built with the help of the children;

has quiet, comfortable areas where practitioners can devote time to bonding with and being •close to young babies;

has some areas that do not have much on display on the wall so that the children can concentrate •on the adult talking to them, rather than having their attention taken with what they are looking at on the wall;

has quiet areas for storytelling and reading. Soft cushions and furnishings will help give the •message that this is a comfortable area for sitting and sharing stories;

ensures that there is no continuous background noise such as a radio/music. Children who are in •the early stage of language development need to learn how to tell the difference between the sounds that make up language and other sounds around them. Even as adults we can find the noise from a TV distracting when we are trying to talk. For young children who are still developing their attention skills it is even more difficult to cut out these extra noises;



has play equipment in the outside environment as well as the inside environment that •encourages shared play. Often children will engage with an activity purely because it is outside. A mark-making area outside may encourage children to take part who usually are not attracted to the mark-making area inside. When setting up the outside area it is important to think about planning opportunities for children to communicate. For example, if trikes and cars can only take one child, the play can be enhanced by turning a cardboard box and a piece of rope into a petrol pump. This will encourage verbal interactions;

ensures the physical environment reflects the culture and ethnicity of the children. Parents may •be happy to bring materials and objects from home;

has practitioners that are flexible with their plans and responsive to spontaneous events, e.g. •supporting children to talk about the snow that they see falling, welcoming and introducing a child’s new baby sister.

Learning and DevelopmentEYFS Principle: Children develop and learn in different ways at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are important and inter connected.

This is particularly true of communication which is essential to the development of learning across all six areas of Learning and development. It is important to remember this when planning for all areas of the EYFS. Children’s language development can be supported through both child-initiated play and planned experiences.

When planning for a communication-friendly setting it is important to consider:

making sure resources are stimulating and at the appropriate developmental level for the child. •Children are more likely to comment and ask questions when resources are exciting to them;

making opportunities to reread favourite books. Children enjoy becoming familiar with the •language and repeating the story long before they can read;

planning to both sing and say rhymes with the children either as a planned group activity or •spontaneously when children choose to;

enhancing stories and songs with props such as objects or puppets and supporting them with •actions. All children will enjoy this and those who find the story more difficult to understand will be especially supported by your props and actions. It will also help to focus children’s attention which is essential for the development of language;



checking that children have understood instructions. The developmental level of the individual •child’s understanding will vary in every group – practitioners may have to simplify their language and use gestures or signs to help children struggling to understand;

thinking about the vocabulary that might be appropriate. Plan to introduce new vocabulary by •giving the children opportunities to use every one of their senses to investigate, e.g. if you want to talk about exotic or unusual fruits children need the opportunity to see, touch, smell and taste them. Make sure there are opportunities for adults to use new words regularly so that they will become part of the children’s vocabulary. It is not enough to just name them once, children need to hear the new words lots of times and in different situations;

thinking carefully when making plans about how the adult will support the activity or play. It •helps when the adult models the activity and talks about it. This will demonstrate the appropriate language for the activity as well as giving the children ideas without directing them;

showing children how spoken language and written language are linked. It will be important at •times to ask children if they would like a caption/sentence written by their drawings. As you scribe what the child says, read it back to them so that you are modelling both the process of reading and that of writing. It is important to have mark-making materials in different areas of the setting, e.g. by the telephone in the shop, in the pockets of carpenters’ aprons by the saw bench, in shopping bags with the dressing-up clothes. If writing is modelled in different situations children will attempt to do the same and may talk about their writing.

Careful observation of children in the setting will help you to develop the environment. It is helpful to observe and take note of individual children and where, when and with whom they communicate. These observations can inform planning to ensure that the setting is communication-friendly for all children.

If you would like to find out more about how to develop a communication-friendly setting you may like to look at the following publication: Communication Friendly Spaces, Jarman, E.

(The Basic Skills Agency www.basic-skills.co.uk)



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that

enc

oura

ge li

sten

ing.

Hav

e fu

n to

geth

er w

ith s

ongs

and

rhym

es.



Back

grou

nd in

form

atio

n So

me

mor

e in

form

atio

n ab

out w

hy th

e to

p tip

s are

impo

rtan

t

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t tha

t pro

vide

s st

imul

atin

g ac

tivi

ties

EYFS

gui

danc

e re

min

ds u

s th

at a

ll ar

eas

of L

earn

ing

and

Dev

elop

men

t are

inte

rcon

nect

ed a

nd e

qual

ly im

port

ant,

and

that

all

lear

ning

sho

uld

be c

reat

ive

and

play

-bas

ed. S

peec

h, la

ngua

ge a

nd c

omm

unic

atio

n de

velo

pmen

t occ

urs

at a

ll tim

es th

roug

hout

the

day

and

a ric

h cu

rric

ulum

pro

vidi

ng a

var

iety

of e

xper

ienc

es

will

ens

ure

that

chi

ldre

n ha

ve th

e op

port

unity

to h

ear a

nd u

se a

ll ki

nds

of d

i�er

ent v

ocab

ular

y an

d la

ngua

ge s

truc

ture

s. Ex

ampl

e ac

tivit

y: G

ive

one

grou

p of

sta�

a p

ictu

re o

f a p

inea

pple

. Giv

e an

othe

r gro

up o

f sta

� a

real

pin

eapp

le a

nd a

kni

fe. A

sk e

ach

grou

p to

wri

te d

own

on a

pi

ece

of p

aper

the

wor

ds th

ey co

uld

use

to d

escr

ibe

the

pine

appl

e. W

hich

gro

up h

as th

e m

ost w

ords

? W

hich

gro

up h

as th

e ri

ches

t lea

rnin

g ex

peri

ence

?D

aily

rout

ines

and

str

uctu

re p

rovi

de a

n op

port

unity

for s

impl

e la

ngua

ge to

be

repe

ated

eac

h da

y. T

his

will

be

part

icul

arly

hel

pful

for c

hild

ren

who

are

�nd

ing

lang

uage

lear

ning

mor

e di

�cu

lt or

chi

ldre

n w

ho a

re le

arni

ng E

nglis

h as

an

Addi

tiona

l Lan

guag

e. T

hink

abo

ut th

e w

ords

that

chi

ldre

n us

ually

lear

n �r

st –

phr

ases

su

ch a

s ‘al

l gon

e’ an

d ‘b

ye b

ye’. T

hese

are

wor

ds th

at th

ey h

ear i

n th

e sa

me

way

s ev

ery

day.

Hea

ring

the

sam

e w

ords

and

sen

tenc

es re

peat

ed in

the

sam

e co

ntex

t ea

ch d

ay w

ill p

rovi

de a

sol

id b

ase

of s

impl

e la

ngua

ge s

truc

ture

s th

at c

hild

ren

can

late

r bui

ld o

n.

An

abili

ty to

list

en to

and

dis

crim

inat

e so

unds

and

an

awar

enes

s of

rhyt

hm a

nd rh

yme

are

the

basi

c bu

ildin

g bl

ocks

for c

omm

unic

atio

n, s

peec

h, la

ngua

ge a

nd

liter

acy

deve

lopm

ent.

Ther

e is

mor

e in

form

atio

n ab

out d

evel

opin

g lis

teni

ng s

kills

in th

e Le

tter

s an

d So

unds

gui

danc

e (a

vaila

ble

here

: w

ww

.sta

ndar

ds.d

fes.g

ov.u

k/lo

cal/c

lld/la

s.htm

l). T

alk

to Y

our B

aby

also

o�e

rs s

ome

good

idea

s an

d w

eb li

nks

rela

ting

to u

sing

mus

ic w

ith y

oung

chi

ldre

n:

(ww

w.li

tera

cytr

ust.o

rg.u

k/ta

lkto

your

baby

/initi

ativ

esm

usic

.htm

l). S

ingi

ng ti

me

can

also

hel

p ch

ildre

n to

dev

elop

att

entio

n an

d lis

teni

ng s

kills

that

are

es

sent

ial f

or c

omm

unic

atio

n.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps th

at b

uild

and

sup

port

com

mun

icat

ion

Child

ren

lear

n st

ep b

y st

ep a

nd it

is th

e ro

le o

f an

adul

t to

supp

ort t

he c

hild

to re

ach

the

next

sta

ge o

f dev

elop

men

t. By

repe

atin

g w

hat t

he c

hild

say

s an

d ad

ding

wor

ds, t

he a

dult

is p

rovi

ding

a s

ca�o

ld fo

r the

chi

ld to

reac

h th

e ne

xt s

tep.

Exam

ple

activ

ity:

Thi

nk a

bout

how

an

adul

t mig

ht h

elp

to b

uild

on

a ch

ild’s

lang

uage

skill

s in

thes

e si

tuat

ions

: the

chi

ld p

oint

s to

a bo

ttle

and

says

‘muh

’ (e

.g. a

dult

says

: ‘m

ilk’),

chi

ld sa

ys ‘b

us’ (

e.g.

adu

lt sa

ys: ‘

red

bus’

), ch

ild sa

ys: ‘

dadd

y go

ne’ (

e.g.

adu

lt sa

ys: ‘

dadd

y’s g

one

shop

ping

’), c

hild

says

: ‘do

lly w

ant

drin

k’ (e

.g. a

dult

says

: ‘Is

dol

ly th

irst

y? W

ould

dol

ly li

ke a

dri

nk o

f wat

er?’

).G

ivin

g ch

oice

s is

ano

ther

way

of e

xpan

ding

a c

hild

’s vo

cabu

lary

and

intr

oduc

ing

new

wor

ds.

Acco

mpa

nyin

g th

e w

ords

you

use

with

ges

ture

s or

sig

ns c

an e

nhan

ce u

nder

stan

ding

. Chi

ldre

n us

e al

l the

ir se

nses

to le

arn,

and

sup

port

ing

spok

en w

ords

with

vi

sual

clu

es m

akes

lear

ning

eas

ier,

part

icul

arly

if c

hild

ren

�nd

liste

ning

and

att

entio

n di

�cu

lt.

It is

impo

rtan

t to

a�rm

and

ack

now

ledg

e al

l of a

chi

ld’s

atte

mpt

s to

com

mun

icat

e. B

y re

peat

ing

wha

t a c

hild

say

s ba

ck to

them

in th

e co

rrec

t way

, adu

lts a

re

corr

ectin

g th

e ch

ild w

ithou

t dra

win

g un

nece

ssar

y at

tent

ion

to th

eir e

rror

s.



Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

wit

h av

aila

ble

adul

tsCo

mm

unic

atio

n is

not

just

abo

ut ta

lkin

g, w

e al

so u

se o

ur fa

cial

exp

ress

ions

and

bod

y la

ngua

ge to

exp

ress

our

mea

ning

. It’s

muc

h ea

sier

to c

omm

unic

ate

if ad

ults

an

d ch

ildre

n ar

e fa

ce to

face

, par

ticul

arly

in a

noi

sy e

nviro

nmen

t suc

h as

an

Early

Yea

rs s

ettin

g. T

his

is a

lso

why

it is

impo

rtan

t to

get a

chi

ld’s

atte

ntio

n be

fore

you

ta

lk to

them

, so

that

they

can

be

men

tally

and

vis

ually

eng

aged

in th

e co

nver

satio

n.Ex

ampl

e ac

tivit

y: A

sk st

a� m

embe

rs to

split

into

pai

rs. A

sk o

ne p

artn

er to

stan

d up

and

one

par

tner

to re

mai

n si

ttin

g do

wn.

Now

ask

them

to ta

lk a

bout

how

th

ey g

ot to

wor

k to

day.

Rep

eat t

he e

xerc

ise

with

bot

h pa

rtne

rs si

ttin

g on

cha

irs,

faci

ng e

ach

othe

r. H

ow d

id e

ach

conv

ersa

tion

feel

? W

hen

was

com

mun

icat

ion

mos

t e�

ectiv

e?G

ood

prac

tice

such

as ‘

sust

aine

d sh

ared

thin

king

’ and

follo

win

g a

child

’s le

ad (a

s m

entio

ned

abov

e) h

ave

been

sho

wn

to o

ccur

mos

t eas

ily in

one

-to-

one

situ

atio

ns

betw

een

adul

t and

chi

ld o

r pee

r-to

-pee

r (w

ww

.sur

esta

rt.g

ov.u

k/re

sear

ch/k

eyre

sear

ch/e

ppe/

). It

’s di

�cu

lt to

ens

ure

that

all

child

ren

get a

dequ

ate

one-

to-o

ne ti

me

unle

ss th

is is

bui

lt in

to th

e se

ttin

g’s

daily

rout

ine

and

plan

ning

.By

com

men

ting

on a

chi

ld’s

play

usi

ng s

tate

men

ts, a

dults

are

add

ing

lang

uage

to a

chi

ld’s

expe

rienc

e an

d en

hanc

ing

thei

r voc

abul

ary

and

lang

uage

dev

elop

men

t. Q

uest

ions

can

be

usef

ul w

ays

to d

evel

op a

chi

ld’s

thin

king

and

und

erst

andi

ng b

ut it

is im

port

ant t

o be

aw

are

of th

e qu

ality

and

qua

ntity

of q

uest

ions

. For

exa

mpl

e,

aski

ng lo

ts o

f ‘che

ck’ q

uest

ions

suc

h as

‘Wha

t’s th

at?’,

‘Wha

t col

our i

s th

is?’

can

put a

chi

ld u

nder

unn

eces

sary

pre

ssur

e an

d lim

its th

e ch

ild’s

oppo

rtun

ity to

bui

ld o

n an

d de

velo

p th

eir l

angu

age

skill

s.

A U

niqu

e Ch

ild w

ho is

val

ued

and

liste

ned

to

One

of t

he �

rst s

teps

tow

ards

e�e

ctiv

e co

mm

unic

atio

n is

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f joi

nt a

tten

tion

– th

e ab

ility

of a

chi

ld to

focu

s to

geth

er w

ith a

n ad

ult o

n so

met

hing

of i

nter

est.

Focu

sing

toge

ther

on

a pe

rson

, an

actio

n or

an

obje

ct p

rovi

des

the

oppo

rtun

ity fo

r ‘su

stai

ned

shar

ed th

inki

ng’ w

hich

has

bee

n id

enti�

ed

as o

ne o

f the

key

asp

ects

of e

�ect

ive

Early

Yea

rs p

ract

ice

(ww

w.s

ures

tart

.gov

.uk/

rese

arch

/key

rese

arch

/epp

e/).

It al

so g

ives

a s

tron

g si

gnal

to th

e ch

ild th

at y

ou

are

inte

rest

ed in

wha

t the

y ar

e do

ing

and

incr

ease

s th

e lik

elih

ood

of y

our l

angu

age

mat

chin

g w

hat t

he c

hild

is th

inki

ng a

bout

. Ex

ampl

e ac

tivit

y: A

sk o

ne st

a� m

embe

r to

role

-pla

y th

e pa

rt o

f a c

hild

who

is p

layi

ng w

ith a

puz

zle.

Ask

ano

ther

sta�

mem

ber t

o ro

le-p

lay

the

part

of

an a

dult

sitt

ing

with

them

who

is a

ttem

ptin

g to

show

the

child

a b

ook.

Doe

s the

adu

lt’s

lang

uage

mat

ch w

ith th

e ch

ild’s

expe

rien

ce?

Is th

is in

tera

ctio

n pr

ovid

ing

a go

od la

ngua

ge le

arni

ng e

nvir

onm

ent f

or th

e ch

ild?

Now

repe

at th

e ro

le-p

lay

but c

hang

e th

e ad

ult’s

focu

s of a

tten

tion

so th

at th

ey a

re

follo

win

g th

e ch

ild’s

lead

and

als

o pl

ayin

g an

d ta

lkin

g ab

out t

he p

uzzl

e. W

hat d

i�er

ence

doe

s thi

s mak

e?

Rese

arch

has

sho

wn

that

circ

umst

ance

s w

here

adu

lts re

stric

t the

chi

ld’s

oppo

rtun

ities

to ta

lk b

y do

min

atin

g an

d di

rect

ing

conv

ersa

tion

lead

to c

hild

ren

prod

ucin

g le

ss c

ompl

ex la

ngua

ge a

nd c

an h

ave

a ne

gativ

e e�

ect o

n th

eir l

angu

age

deve

lopm

ent.

It is

ther

efor

e im

port

ant t

o en

sure

that

chi

ldre

n ar

e gi

ven

time

and

spac

e to

sta

rt c

onve

rsat

ions

and

take

turn

s w

ith a

dults

who

do

not r

ush

in a

nd d

omin

ate

the

talk

.



Guidance on supporting children learning English as an Additional LanguageThe National Strategies document Supporting children learning English as an Additional Language: Guidance for practitioners in the Early Years Foundation Stage has outlined a number of key principles for practitioners supporting children across the EYFS. The following guidance reiterates these key principles, highlighting specifically how good practice in supporting the speech, language and communication skills of all children can also be used to support the skills of children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Celebrate bilingualismSome estimates suggest that as much as two-thirds of the world’s population speak more than one language. Speaking more than one language is a positive and beneficial skill and should be celebrated. There is no evidence to suggest that learning more than one language will delay the development of speech and language skills. In fact, bilingualism can have many positive benefits for children.

Key principle: Bilingualism is an asset, and the first language has a continuing and significant role in identity, learning and the acquisition of additional languages. (Supporting children learning EAL: Guidance for practitioners in EYFS – page 4.)

Early Years settings should create a culture that values and celebrates the languages spoken by children. In doing so they will not only support the speech, language and communication development of children learning English as an Additional Language, but will enrich the experience of all children within their setting.

Some further suggestions for ways of celebrating bilingualism and supporting the speech, language and communication development of children learning English as an Additional Language in your setting are given below. Practical ideas are given alongside each of the four themes of the EYFS and practitioners are encouraged to:

value and support • the Unique Child

encourage • Positive Relationships between parents, children and staff

create • Enabling Environments that support language learning

appropriately plan • Learning and Development opportunities.



A Unique ChildKey principle: Every child is unique; when you make your observations, it is important to acknowledge and value each child’s home language and cultural background.

Like all children, those learning EAL thrive and learn best where practice is excellent; key factors include the inclusive attitude and ethos set by leaders and managers and required of all practitioners in the setting, an understanding that bilingualism is an asset, genuinely reflective practice and an adherence to the belief that every child matters.

(Supporting children learning EAL: Guidance for practitioners in EYFS - page 8.)

Find out as much information as possible about the child’s language skills in their home language •as well as in English.

Talk to children about the fact that they speak more than one language and help them to learn •the names of the languages that they speak.

Encourage parents to share a list of common words in their language with the Early Years setting.•Make your own ‘language poster’ with the parents’ help and ask them to add the phrases you •want to know.

Put up a world map and link every child to a language background, adding a flag and country •with a card and photograph made by the parent/s. This can help to demonstrate to the parents and the community that different cultural heritages are valued.

Questions and concernsFor many settings, working with children speaking in English as an Additional Language may be a new or daunting experience.

When NOT to be concerned:It’s OK for children to speak their home language while they are in the Early Years setting.•

Supporting the development of a child’s home language will enhance their ability to learn English. •Time spent speaking their home language may also offer children a welcome respite from the pressure of speaking English.

Children learning English may mix two languages in one sentence. This is part of the learning •process and should decrease over time.

Acknowledge all children’s attempts to communicate. If possible, repeat back what the child has •said using all of the correct English words and grammar.

Children may go through a silent period before they feel confident to use English. This can last up •to a couple of months.

Be aware that this is not a passive phase and the child probably understands much more than •he/she can express. Continue to expect the child to respond but try to avoid putting on too much pressure – encourage non-verbal responses.

Children may go through a period of not wanting to use their home language. This may be due •to the influence of peers, the dominance of the majority culture or a change in the way that the community and family use their home language.

Encourage parents not to give up using their home language. In the Early Years setting, continue to •acknowledge and celebrate the child’s home language and culture.



Speaking English as an Additional Language does not exclude children from having difficulties with speech and language development, but it can be difficult to differentiate between a child who is still learning English and a child who is having speech and language difficulties.

When to be concerned:If children are having difficulties understanding or using language in their home language as well •as in English.

If children have been in your setting for more than a term and have not yet begun to use or •understand English.

If children have a history of hearing difficulties or middle-ear infections.•If children have difficulty interacting non-verbally, e.g. they do not initiate interaction or play and •they do not point or make gestures to get their message across.

If you feel that a child is having difficulties that are not related to learning English as an Additional Language, speak to your Early Language consultant about what actions you should take. It may be that a referral to an outside agency is appropriate. Continue to provide a rich language environment for the child and record your observations.

Positive RelationshipsPositive relationships with engaged adults are vital for the speech, language and communication development of all children. Practitioners can take a role in supporting and encouraging positive parent–child relationships, as well as fostering strong relationships themselves between the setting and the child’s home.

Key principle: Secure and trusting relationships with a key person are vital to a child’s development in all areas. Bilingual support is a highly desirable resource but it has to be accepted that appropriate first-language support may not be available for all children in all settings all the time.


Encourage and create opportunities for children to interact with peers or adults who speak their •home language.

Support children to make relationships with other children from whom they can learn English, e.g. •through small-group work.

Build good relationships between staff and parents, using the support of interpreters or language •advocates if necessary.

Top tips for practitionersUse gestures and visual clues to support spoken language.•Talk about things in the ‘here and now’, e.g. things that you can see and hear.•Use simple language and pronounce words clearly.•Repeat words and phrases often.•Give children time to respond.•Emphasise key words and information.•Small-group work can support language and social skills and build confidence.•



Top tips for parentsA good language model: Speak to children in the language that you feel most comfortable with – •it is the quality of interaction that is important, it doesn’t matter which language you use.

A rich language experience: Introduce your child to stories, songs, rhymes and poems in your •home language and talk to them about things that you see and do.

Clear and consistent: If there is more than one language spoken at home, try to keep to some •consistent rules (e.g. Mum speaks French, Dad speaks Yoruba).

Parents may also benefit from advice given on www.talktoyourbaby.org.uk , www.talkingpoint.org.uk , and local bilingual support groups.

Enabling EnvironmentsCreating an optimum environment for children to support the language development of children learning English as an Additional Language is not that different from creating a positive language learning environment for all children. But making small adaptations to the physical resources within your setting as well as to the ways that staff speak and interact with children can be helpful.

Key principle: The physical environment should also include play and learning resources that positively reflect the children’s cultural and linguistic identity and experiences; for example books, posters, labels, role-play equipment including community language newspapers and food packets, displaying a variety of scripts to support language awareness.


Include resources and toys which reflect a variety of heritages in your setting.•Include dual-language books in your setting demonstrating a variety of letters and scripts.•Ensure books reflect positive images of a range of people in everyday situations.•Ensure good opportunities for outdoor play as required by the statutory EYFS; children •learning English as an Additional Language are often less inhibited in their language use when playing outside.



Learning and DevelopmentA good Early Years setting is a place where children’s skills are observed and children’s play, active learning and creativity are developed across all six areas of Learning and Development. This is also the ideal place where the language skills of children learning English as an Additional Language can flourish.

Key principle: All areas of Learning and Development are interrelated and interdependent, and offer rich opportunities for developing children’s use of language. Activities in your setting which you plan specifically to support all children’s language and communication skills should need little adapting for children learning EAL. Enhancing activities inevitably benefits all children in the setting.

(Supporting children learning EAL: Guidance for practitioners in EYFS – page 16.)

Ensure that children are given rich first-hand experiences so that they can develop language and •build vocabulary in context.

Use daily routines as regular opportunities for learning and development.•Plan games, music and stories which strengthen and value children’s home language and help •them to develop English. (More information and specific ideas are available in Supporting children learning EAL: Guidance for practitioners in EYFS, pages 16–20.)

Encourage parents and practitioners who speak languages other than English to enrich the •learning and development in your setting by sharing songs and stories in home languages. They can, where appropriate, share other aspects of their cultural heritages such as dress and food, taking care that activities develop within a natural context and are not tokenistic.

Key principle: Give children space and time; your patience and support, thoughtful provision, and acknowledgement of their skills in their home language will give them the confidence to achieve in English. Children are natural linguists. With your support children learning EAL will have the best foundation for becoming truly bilingual, with all the intellectual and social benefits this confers.

(Supporting children learning EAL: Guidance for practitioners in EYFS – page 18.)



Making the most of everyday activities: Ways in which Early Years practitioners can support and develop children’s speech, language and communication The pages that follow provide a few examples of activities which typically occur every day in Early Years settings and describe ways in which they can be used to promote children’s language development. The activities are grouped according to children’s age and stage of development; these broadly match both those in the EYFS and the descriptors for child language development in the ECAT monitoring tool. The activities are described using the four themes of the EYFS and they can be adapted to suit different ages. Each page outlines the ways in which practitioners can use the activity to support children’s language development at an appropriate level by recognising the Unique Child, building Positive Relationships, creating Enabling Environments and supporting the child’s Learning and Development.



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Giv

e th

e ba

by ti

me

to re

act.

Obs

erve

the

baby

car

eful

ly s

o th

at y

ou c

an re

spon

d ap

prop

riate

ly

(see

Pos

itive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps).

Youn

g ch

ildre

n lik

e ro

utin

es s

o do

n’t w

orry

abo

ut re

spon

ding

in

the

sam

e w

ay o

r say

ing

the

sam

e th

ings

ove

r and

ove

r aga

in.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nTa

ke ti

me

to re

lax

with

the

baby

in a

qui

et p

lace

.Lo

ok a

t the

bab

y.Ca

ll th

eir n

ame.

Wai

t for

the

baby

to re

act.

Resp

ond

by c

opyi

ng w

hat t

he b

aby

does

, e.g

. fro

m si

x w

eeks

he

may

smile

; sm

ile b

ack.

He

may

mak

e a

soun

d; co

py th

e so

und.

If h

e cr

ies,

mak

e a

sad

face

. Onc

e yo

u fe

el co

mfo

rtab

le co

pyin

g th

e ba

by’s

faci

al e

xpre

ssio

ns a

nd n

oise

s, ke

ep co

pyin

g bu

t add

ano

ther

soun

d or

noi

se. F

or e

xam

ple,

if h

e sa

ys ‘d

a’, y

ou sa

y ‘d

a-da

’.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tU

se s

ituat

ions

whe

n yo

u ar

e ho

ldin

g th

e ba

by, e

.g. f

eedi

ng, c

uddl

ing

or

whe

n yo

ur fa

ce c

an b

e cl

ose

to th

e ba

by’s,

e.g

. nap

py c

hang

ing.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Ea

rly

‘peo

ple

play

’W

hy?

Befo

re fo

ur m

onth

s, ba

bies

can

focu

s on

peo

ple

or o

bjec

ts b

ut n

ot b

oth

at th

e sa

me

time.

‘Peo

ple

play

’ hel

ps a

bab

y to

look

at f

aces

, att

end

to fa

cial

exp

ress

ions

, lis

ten

to v

oice

s an

d ta

ke tu

rns.

Thes

e fo

rm im

port

ant e

arly

foun

datio

n sk

ills

for l

angu

age

and

com

mun

icat

ion.

Birt

h−11

mon

ths:

The

Early

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Allo

w th

e ba

by o

ppor

tuni

ties

to e

xplo

re a

n ob

ject

or v

isua

l st

imul

us in

his

ow

n tim

e.

If th

e ba

by d

rops

the

obje

ct a

nd is

una

ble

to re

trie

ve it

, giv

e it

back

so

he c

an c

ontin

ue to

exp

lore

it. H

owev

er, i

f he

drop

s it

twic

e, q

uick

ly, h

e is

pro

babl

y te

lling

you

that

he

wan

ts to

exp

lore

so

met

hing

els

e.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nTa

ke ti

me.

Vary

the

obje

cts

and

toys

.N

ame

the

obje

ct th

e ba

by lo

oks

at.

If he

look

s to

war

ds a

n ob

ject

that

is o

ut o

f rea

ch, g

ive

it to

him

and

nam

e it,

e.g

. ‘Bal

l? H

ere’s

the

ball’.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tPr

ovid

e a

varie

ty o

f app

ropr

iate

toys

for t

he b

aby

to e

xplo

re: l

ight

wei

ght r

attle

s, sq

uash

y ba

lls, e

tc.

Mob

iles

and

activ

ity c

entr

es w

hich

the

baby

can

wat

ch a

nd re

ach

out f

or a

re a

lso

usef

ul.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Ea

rly

obje

ct p

lay

Why

?Th

e ba

by n

eeds

to le

arn

how

to re

ach

out a

nd h

old

thin

gs, h

ow to

take

som

ethi

ng in

one

ha

nd a

nd tr

ansf

er it

to th

e ot

her h

and.

He

star

ts to

lear

n ho

w to

exp

lore

thin

gs a

roun

d hi

m a

nd h

e be

gins

to le

arn

how

to c

once

ntra

te fo

r inc

reas

ing

perio

ds o

f tim

e.

The

Early

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Allo

w th

e ch

ild o

ppor

tuni

ties

to e

xplo

re th

e ob

ject

in h

is

own

time.

Fo

llow

the

child

’s in

tere

st.

Wai

t for

the

child

to re

act.

Not

e th

e th

ings

the

child

is in

tere

sted

in. U

se th

e th

ings

the

child

is

inte

rest

ed in

ano

ther

tim

e bu

t als

o pr

esen

t new

obj

ects

whi

ch

he c

an e

xplo

re.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nN

ame

the

obje

ct th

e ba

by h

olds

or l

ooks

at.

Use

the

sam

e, s

hort

phr

ases

dur

ing

rout

ines

, e.g

. ‘On

the

mat

...

dow

n w

e go

... le

t’s c

hang

e th

is n

appy

,’ or ‘

Mm

m...

nic

e dr

ink,’

or

‘Vic

ki’s

goin

g...

bye-

bye

Vick

i.’G

ive

the

baby

real

obj

ects

in e

very

day

situ

atio

ns fo

r him

to

expl

ore,

e.g

. giv

e hi

m a

n ex

tra

spoo

n at

mea

ltim

es, a

shoe

whe

n dr

essi

ng h

im, a

com

b w

hen

you

com

b hi

s hai

r. So

met

imes

sho

w th

e ch

ild h

ow to

use

an

obje

ct, e

.g. i

f you

giv

e hi

m a

hai

rbru

sh a

nd h

e pu

ts it

in h

is m

outh

, gen

tly g

uide

his

han

d to

bru

sh h

is h

air.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tPr

ovid

e a

wid

e va

riety

of t

oys

and

ever

yday

obj

ects

to e

xplo

re. Y

ou c

ould

pre

sent

the

obje

cts

in a

‘tre

asur

e ba

sket

’.In

volv

e th

e ch

ild in

eve

ryda

y ro

utin

es s

uch

as w

ashi

ng, d

ress

ing

and

eatin

g so

he

begi

ns

to u

nder

stan

d w

hat r

eal o

bjec

ts a

re a

nd h

ow th

ey a

re u

sed

in re

al s

ituat

ions

.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Ex

plor

ing

obje

cts

Why

?Fr

om s

ix m

onth

s a

child

nee

ds to

sta

rt le

arni

ng a

bout

obj

ects

. He

lear

ns w

hat a

n ob

ject

lo

oks

like,

feel

s lik

e, h

ow it

is u

sed

and

how

it is

not

use

d. T

he b

aby

will

sta

rt to

sto

re th

is

info

rmat

ion

in h

is b

rain

and

gra

dual

ly a

dd to

it. T

his

prov

ides

ess

entia

l fou

ndat

ions

so

that

at a

roun

d 12

–15

mon

ths

he c

an s

tart

to a

dd d

etai

ls a

bout

how

to u

nder

stan

d th

e w

ord

for t

he o

bjec

t/pe

rson

and

late

r how

to s

ay th

e w

ord.

The

Early

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Follo

w th

e ch

ild’s

inte

rest

.W

ait f

or th

e ch

ild to

reac

t.Li

sten

to th

e ch

ild’s

atte

mpt

s to

say

wor

ds.

Thin

k ca

refu

lly a

bout

wha

t the

chi

ld m

ight

be

tryi

ng to

say

. H

e is

like

ly to

be

nam

ing

som

ethi

ng h

e is

hol

ding

or a

skin

g fo

r an

obj

ect h

e w

ants

. He

may

be

aski

ng fo

r ‘m

ore’

or a

skin

g yo

u to

re

peat

som

ethi

ng, e

.g. a

son

g yo

u ar

e si

ngin

g or

ano

ther

ride

in

a tr

uck.

He

mig

ht a

lso

be tr

ying

to s

ay th

at h

e do

es n

ot w

ant o

r lik

e so

met

hing

.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nN

ame

the

obje

ct h

e ho

lds

or lo

oks

at.

Use

the

sam

e, s

hort

phr

ases

with

eac

h ro

utin

e, e

.g. ‘

Tedd

y’s

drin

king

’ or ‘

Tedd

y lik

es h

is d

rink.

Mor

e dr

ink

Tedd

y?’

Talk

abo

ut w

hat t

he c

hild

and

/or t

eddy

are

doi

ng.

If th

e ch

ild a

ttem

pts

to s

ay a

wor

d, re

peat

it c

lear

ly s

o he

he

ars

good

exa

mpl

es.

If yo

u do

n’t k

now

wha

t he

said

, wat

ch w

hat h

e is

doi

ng a

nd tr

y to

wor

k ou

t wha

t he

wan

ts to

say

. The

n sa

y on

e- o

r tw

o-w

ord

phra

ses

so th

at h

e he

ars

good

mod

els

of w

ords

and

lang

uage

.Yo

u m

ay n

eed

to s

how

the

child

how

to lo

ok a

fter

tedd

y. H

e is

lik

ely

to c

opy

thin

gs y

ou d

o or

thin

gs o

ther

chi

ldre

n do

.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tU

se th

e ho

me

corn

er o

r tak

e eq

uipm

ent f

rom

the

hom

e co

rner

out

door

s or

into

an

area

of t

he le

arni

ng e

nviro

nmen

t in

whi

ch th

e ch

ild fe

els

com

fort

able

. Pre

tend

to d

rink

from

cup

s, ea

t pre

tend

food

, fee

d te

ddie

s et

c. P

rete

nd to

look

aft

er

tedd

y by

taki

ng h

im fo

r wal

ks in

a p

ushc

hair,

invo

lve

him

in a

ll th

e ro

utin

es s

uch

as w

ashi

ng h

ands

, sna

ck, p

layi

ng o

n bi

kes

and

slid

es, e

tc, o

utsi

de.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Pl

ayin

g w

ith

tedd

y an

d do

llyW

hy?

By a

bout

eig

ht m

onth

s th

e ch

ild u

nder

stan

ds h

ow to

gai

n an

adu

lt’s

atte

ntio

n, k

now

s ab

out t

urn-

taki

ng a

nd is

pro

babl

y m

akin

g ba

bblin

g-ty

pe s

ound

s. Th

e ch

ild k

now

s ho

w to

us

e ob

ject

s an

d st

arts

to u

se th

ese

on h

imse

lf bu

t als

o on

oth

er p

eopl

e, te

ddie

s an

d do

lls.

For e

xam

ple,

he

will

drin

k fr

om a

dol

l-siz

ed c

up, o

�er a

drin

k to

ano

ther

per

son

or g

ive

tedd

y a

drin

k. T

his

is a

n in

dica

tion

that

he

is re

ady

to le

arn

new

wor

ds.

8–20

mon

ths:

The

Att

entiv

e Co

mm

unic

ator



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

A y

oung

chi

ld is

usu

ally

cur

ious

and

may

be

awar

e of

sou

nds

whi

ch w

e te

nd to

igno

re.

Wat

ch th

e ch

ild c

aref

ully

, not

e tim

es w

hen

he n

otic

es a

sou

nd a

nd

expl

ore

the

child

’s in

tere

st b

y st

oppi

ng a

nd li

sten

ing

too

and

talk

ing

abou

t the

noi

se.

If a

child

doe

s no

t app

ear t

o be

inte

rest

ed in

sou

nds,

liste

n ou

t for

no

ises

that

you

thin

k m

ight

intr

igue

him

and

talk

abo

ut th

em.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

out

for s

ound

s in

the

lear

ning

env

ironm

ent.

Soun

ds

indo

ors

mig

ht in

clud

e w

ater

, kitc

hen

or m

eal p

repa

ratio

n no

ises

, ch

ildre

n pl

ayin

g, s

hout

ing

or u

sing

cer

tain

toys

. Out

side

sou

nds

mig

ht in

clud

e ae

ropl

anes

, car

s, w

ind.

N

ame

the

sour

ce o

f the

sou

nd, e

.g. ‘O

h! A

erop

lane

. Can

you

see

it?

Look

… u

p in

the

sky.

.. ae

ropl

ane.’

Soun

d-m

aker

s ca

n be

use

d to

enc

oura

ge c

omm

unic

atin

g: ‘m

ore’,

‘a

gain

’, ‘gon

e’, e

tc.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tU

se e

very

day

soun

ds in

the

lear

ning

env

ironm

ent –

insi

de a

nd o

utsi

de. T

ry to

be

mor

e aw

are

of a

ll th

e so

unds

aro

und

you.

Pro

vide

or m

ake

soun

d an

d m

usic

-mak

ing

toys

suc

h as

squ

eezy

/pus

h-bu

tton

sou

nd-m

aker

s. H

ave

a pe

riod

of th

e da

y w

here

the

tele

visi

on o

r rad

io is

turn

ed o

� to

hel

p th

e ch

ild fo

cus

on th

e so

unds

that

are

aro

und

him

.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Ex

plor

ing

soun

dsW

hy?

Bein

g ab

le to

list

en c

aref

ully

to o

ne s

ound

or v

oice

am

ong

othe

r bac

kgro

und

nois

es

is a

ski

ll th

at y

oung

chi

ldre

n ha

ve to

lear

n. It

is im

port

ant b

ecau

se it

will

ena

ble

a ch

ild

to ig

nore

irre

leva

nt n

oise

and

to c

once

ntra

te o

n im

port

ant i

nfor

mat

ion

such

as

an a

dult

talk

ing.

The

Att

entiv

e Co

mm

unic

ator



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Enco

urag

e ea

ch c

hild

to c

hoos

e a

song

or r

hym

e. T

his

enco

urag

es

choi

ce, l

angu

age

and

inde

pend

ence

. Co

nsid

er u

sing

a c

hoic

e bo

ard.

Use

pic

ture

s, ob

ject

s or

toys

whi

ch

clea

rly re

pres

ent e

ach

song

or r

hym

e an

d fa

sten

thes

e on

to a

bo

ard.

Thi

s vi

sual

sup

port

will

hel

p a

child

who

may

not

re

mem

ber t

he fu

ll ra

nge

of rh

ymes

. It a

lso

mea

ns th

at a

chi

ld w

ho

is re

luct

ant o

r una

ble

to ta

lk c

lear

ly c

an a

lso

indi

cate

a c

hoic

e.

The

adul

t sho

uld

acce

pt a

non

-ver

bal r

espo

nse

from

the

child

, e.

g. p

oint

ing,

and

mod

el th

e la

ngua

ge: ‘O

ld M

acD

onal

d...

good

, let

’s si

ng “O

ld M

acD

onal

d ha

s a fa

rm”.’

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nRe

spon

d to

a c

hild

’s ch

oice

of s

ong.

Mak

e it

fun.

Try

to in

volv

e ac

tions

or �

nger

mov

emen

ts o

r sig

ns.

Cons

ider

the

pace

of t

he s

ong

or rh

yme.

Slo

w d

own

the

rate

a

little

to e

nabl

e al

l the

chi

ldre

n to

list

en a

nd jo

in in

.D

on’t

wor

ry if

a c

hild

ask

s fo

r the

sam

e rh

yme

or s

ong

man

y tim

es. T

he re

petit

ion

will

hel

p th

e ch

ild to

lear

n th

e so

ng a

nd b

e ab

le to

join

in. I

t mig

ht h

elp

to h

ave

a co

re o

f fam

iliar

son

gs a

nd

occa

sion

ally

add

som

ethi

ng n

ew to

cre

ate

fres

h in

tere

st.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tIn

trod

uce

a va

riety

of s

ongs

and

rhym

es. C

hoos

e so

ngs

and

rhym

es th

at re

info

rce

ever

yday

wor

ds a

nd

that

incl

ude

�nge

r and

or b

ody

actio

ns s

o th

at a

chi

ld w

ho d

oesn

’t kn

ow th

e w

ords

can

als

o jo

in in

.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t So

ngs

and

rhym

esW

hy?

Song

s an

d rh

ymes

pro

vide

val

uabl

e op

port

uniti

es fo

r chi

ldre

n to

hea

r rep

eate

d la

ngua

ge,

tune

s an

d rh

ythm

. Onc

e a

child

sta

rts

to re

mem

ber a

rhym

e, h

e ca

n jo

in in

, mak

e th

e ac

tions

and

say

the

wor

ds.

16–2

6 m

onth

s: T

he In

nova

tive

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Giv

e a

child

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

cho

ose

his

own

book

from

a w

ide

varie

ty o

f boo

k ty

pes

and

topi

cs.

A c

hild

may

wan

t you

to re

ad th

e st

ory,

he

may

wan

t you

to ta

lk

abou

t the

pic

ture

s, he

may

wan

t to

poin

t to

pict

ures

for y

ou to

na

me

and/

or h

e m

ay tr

y to

tell

you

wha

t thi

ngs

are.

Li

sten

, wai

t and

wat

ch fo

r the

chi

ld to

indi

cate

wha

t he

wan

ts.

If a

child

alw

ays

choo

ses

the

sam

e bo

ok, t

ry to

wid

en h

is in

tere

st

by lo

okin

g at

a fe

w p

ages

of a

noth

er b

ook

that

you

thin

k he

m

ight

like

bef

ore

shar

ing

the

book

he

usua

lly s

elec

ts.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nSo

met

imes

sit

and

read

a b

ook

with

a c

hild

. At o

ther

tim

es g

ive

the

child

tim

e an

d sp

ace

to e

xplo

re a

boo

k on

his

ow

n.If

shar

ing

a bo

ok, r

espo

nd to

how

the

child

wan

ts to

use

it.

Thin

k ab

out t

he la

ngua

ge th

e ch

ild u

nder

stan

ds a

nd u

ses.

Mod

el

exam

ples

that

are

onl

y sl

ight

ly m

ore

di�

cult

than

that

whi

ch th

e ch

ild c

an s

ay. F

or e

xam

ple,

if h

e se

es a

cow

and

says

, ‘Moo

’, you

say,

‘M

oo, i

t’s a

cow

’. If t

he c

hild

says

, ‘Cow

’, you

say,

‘The

cow

is e

atin

g’, e

tc.

If th

e la

ngua

ge u

sed

in th

e bo

ok is

too

di�

cult,

mak

e up

you

r ow

n bu

t kee

p th

e st

ory

brie

f and

use

sim

ple

wor

ds a

nd s

ente

nces

.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tPr

ovid

e a

wid

e va

riety

of s

impl

e bo

oks.

Pict

ure

book

s of

eve

ryda

y ob

ject

s, an

imal

s or

peo

ple

doin

g ev

eryd

ay th

ings

, or

sim

ple

stor

ies

abou

t eve

ryda

y si

tuat

ions

are

inva

luab

le fo

r dev

elop

ing

voca

bula

ry a

nd la

ngua

ge. A

lso

incl

ude

a va

riety

of

type

s of

boo

ks: b

oard

boo

ks, �

ap-b

ooks

, noi

sy b

ooks

, mat

eria

l boo

ks, w

ater

proo

f boo

ks, b

ooks

with

pho

tos

and

book

s w

ith d

raw

ings

.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Pi

ctur

e bo

oks

Why

?Pi

ctur

e bo

oks

and

sim

ple

stor

ies

prov

ide

valu

able

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r chi

ldre

n to

hea

r re

peat

ed la

ngua

ge, c

opy

wor

ds a

nd p

erha

ps to

sta

rt n

amin

g pi

ctur

es. S

harin

g bo

oks

also

he

lps

to d

evel

op li

sten

ing

and

atte

ntio

n sk

ills.

For t

his

age

grou

p, fo

cus

on th

ings

a c

hild

ca

n se

e on

eac

h pa

ge. N

ame

the

obje

cts

or p

eopl

e an

d de

scrib

e w

hat t

hey

are

doin

g, to

en

cour

age

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f act

ion

wor

ds s

uch

as ‘w

alki

ng’, ‘j

umpi

ng’, ‘s

mili

ng’, e

tc.

The

Inno

vativ

e Co

mm

unic

ator



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

List

en, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.Fo

llow

the

child

’s in

tere

st.

Som

etim

es p

lay

alon

gsid

e th

e ch

ild. L

iste

n to

wha

t he

says

or t

ries

to s

ay a

nd p

rovi

de m

odel

s of

wor

ds a

nd s

ente

nces

that

he

can

begi

n to

cop

y. A

t oth

er ti

mes

, giv

e hi

m ti

me

and

spac

e to

exp

lore

an

d so

lve

his

own

prob

lem

s.A

chi

ld o

f thi

s ag

e m

ay �

nd it

di�

cult

to s

hare

toys

. Tr

y to

enc

oura

ge h

im to

take

turn

s w

ith th

e eq

uipm

ent.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

, wai

t and

wat

ch.

Thin

k ab

out t

he la

ngua

ge th

e ch

ild u

nder

stan

ds a

nd u

ses.

Mod

el

exam

ples

that

are

onl

y sl

ight

ly m

ore

di�

cult

than

that

whi

ch th

e ch

ild c

an s

ay. F

or e

xam

ple,

if h

e sa

ys, ‘B

ucke

t’, yo

u sa

y, ‘B

ucke

t, th

e bu

cket

’s fu

ll of

wat

er’.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tCo

nsid

er v

aryi

ng th

e w

ater

-pla

y to

cre

ate

inte

rest

. Cha

nge

the

wat

er b

y ad

ding

bub

bles

or c

olou

r or a

dd a

larg

e bl

ock

of

ice.

Cha

nge

the

toys

to p

rom

ote

a w

ider

use

of w

ords

and

to h

elp

him

sol

ve n

ew p

robl

ems,

e.g.

use

sea

cre

atur

es,

pebb

les

and

shel

ls, o

r boa

ts a

nd p

eopl

e. A

noth

er ti

me

you

coul

d tr

y bu

cket

s, w

ater

whe

els

and

pum

ps.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t W

ater

tray

Why

?Yo

ung

child

ren

love

wat

er. W

ater

can

be

used

to d

evel

op v

ocab

ular

y an

d la

ngua

ge,

shar

ing

and

prob

lem

sol

ving

.

The

Inno

vativ

e Co

mm

unic

ator



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

List

en, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.Fo

llow

the

child

’s in

tere

st.

Befo

re 3

0 m

onth

s a

child

is li

kely

to w

ant t

o pl

ay o

n hi

s ow

n or

w

atch

oth

ers

play

. It i

s im

port

ant t

o pr

ovid

e th

e sp

ace

for h

im to

do

this

.A

fter

30

mon

ths,

a ch

ild m

ay s

tart

to p

lay

with

oth

ers.

A c

hild

may

ap

prec

iate

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

pla

y w

ith ju

st o

ne o

r tw

o fr

iend

s in

th

e ho

me

corn

er.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

, wai

t and

wat

ch.

Enco

urag

e th

e ch

ild to

act

out

eve

ryda

y ev

ents

. Fol

low

his

in

tere

st, e

.g. h

e m

ay u

ndre

ss Te

ddy.

The

n, if

nec

essa

ry, s

ugge

st

wha

t he

coul

d do

nex

t, e.

g. g

ive

Tedd

y a

bath

. Nex

t tim

e th

e ch

ild

mig

ht u

ndre

ss a

nd b

ath

Tedd

y an

d co

uld

be s

how

n ho

w to

put

hi

m to

bed

. Li

sten

to w

hat t

he c

hild

say

s. Re

spon

d by

ans

wer

ing

his

ques

tions

, or e

xpan

d w

hat h

e sa

id. A

void

ask

ing

too

man

y qu

estio

ns y

ours

elf.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tEn

sure

that

the

equi

pmen

t in

the

hom

e co

rner

is a

ge-a

ppro

pria

te a

nd re

pres

ents

the

rich

dive

rsity

of t

he c

hild

ren’

s ow

n ho

mes

. It i

s im

port

ant t

o va

ry th

e ro

le-p

lay

area

to �

t in

with

di�

eren

t the

mes

, e.g

. a b

uild

er’s

yard

or a

caf

e.

The

topi

c ne

eds

to b

e si

mpl

e an

d w

ithin

the

child

ren’

s ex

perie

nce.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Pl

ayin

g in

the

role

-pla

y ar

ea –

a h

ome

corn

erW

hy?

Play

ing

in th

e ho

me

corn

er e

nabl

es a

chi

ld to

act

out

rout

ines

whi

ch h

e se

es a

t hom

e an

d w

hen

he is

out

and

abo

ut. T

his

enco

urag

es h

im to

sta

rt to

use

his

imag

inat

ion,

to u

se

lang

uage

to o

rgan

ise

his

thou

ghts

, pla

n a

sequ

ence

of e

vent

s an

d be

gin

to e

xplo

re th

e th

ough

ts a

nd fe

elin

gs o

f oth

ers.

Hom

e-co

rner

pla

y pr

ovid

es v

alua

ble

oppo

rtun

ities

for

the

child

to h

ear a

nd u

se e

very

day

wor

ds a

nd s

ente

nces

.

22–3

6 m

onth

s: T

he D

evel

opin

g Co

mm

unic

ator



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

List

en, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.Fo

llow

the

child

’s le

ad.

Avoi

d as

king

too

man

y qu

estio

ns s

o th

at th

e ch

ild c

an fo

cus

on

thin

gs h

e is

inte

rest

ed in

. He

will

lear

n m

ore

this

way

.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

, wai

t and

wat

ch. R

espo

nd to

the

child

by

answ

erin

g hi

s qu

estio

ns, o

r exp

andi

ng w

hat h

e sa

ys b

y re

peat

ing

his

sent

ence

an

d ad

ding

just

one

or t

wo

extr

a w

ords

.A

t thi

s ag

e, c

ontin

ue to

focu

s on

the

nam

es o

f thi

ngs

and

wha

t th

ings

/peo

ple

are

doin

g bu

t sta

rt to

intr

oduc

e na

mes

for p

arts

of

obje

cts.

Puzz

les

are

idea

l for

this

, e.g

. as p

arts

of a

�re

eng

ine

are

adde

d to

the

pict

ure,

nam

e th

e la

dder

, �re

ext

ingu

ishe

r, lig

hts,

bell,

ho

se, e

tc. I

f the

chi

ld h

as a

goo

d vo

cabu

lary

of o

bjec

ts a

nd p

arts

of

obj

ects

, sta

rt th

inki

ng a

bout

pos

ition

wor

ds: o

n, u

nder

, on

top;

si

ze: b

ig, l

ittle

, lon

g, s

hort

; col

our:

red,

blu

e; n

umbe

r: 1,

2.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tPr

ovid

e a

wid

e va

riety

of p

uzzl

es a

nd in

set b

oard

s to

giv

e op

port

uniti

es to

list

en to

and

say

di�

eren

t wor

ds a

nd s

ente

nces

.En

sure

that

the

puzz

les

are

appr

opria

te fo

r a d

iver

se ra

nge

of a

bilit

y, fr

om s

impl

e in

set p

uzzl

es to

big

�oo

r puz

zles

that

gr

oups

of c

hild

ren

can

com

plet

e to

geth

er to

mor

e co

mpl

icat

ed 1

6- o

r 32-

piec

e pu

zzle

s.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Pu

zzle

sW

hy?

Puzz

les

prov

ide

valu

able

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

dev

elop

�ne

-mot

or a

nd m

anip

ulat

ion

skill

s, pi

ctur

e m

atch

ing,

pat

tern

com

plet

ing,

con

cent

ratio

n bu

t als

o la

ngua

ge. P

uzzl

es c

an

prov

ide

anot

her e

very

day

situ

atio

n to

max

imis

e th

e us

e of

lang

uage

.

The

Dev

elop

ing

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

List

en, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.Fo

llow

the

child

’s in

tere

st.

List

en to

wha

t he

says

or t

ries

to s

ay a

nd p

rovi

de m

odel

s of

wor

ds

and

sent

ence

s.

Enco

urag

e hi

m to

pla

y w

ith o

ther

chi

ldre

n. It

may

hel

p to

lim

it th

e nu

mbe

r of c

hild

ren

play

ing

in th

e sa

nd s

o th

ere

is s

pace

and

room

fo

r tw

o or

thre

e to

rela

x, s

hare

, dev

elop

thei

r ide

as a

nd c

hat t

o ea

ch o

ther

. If a

sm

all g

roup

is ta

lkin

g, e

xplo

re a

nd e

xten

d th

e pl

ay

posi

tivel

y –

avoi

d in

terr

uptin

g. C

hild

ren

lear

n a

lot b

y lis

teni

ng to

ea

ch o

ther

.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

, wai

t and

wat

ch.

Thin

k ab

out t

he la

ngua

ge th

e ch

ild u

nder

stan

ds a

nd u

ses.

Mod

el

exam

ples

that

are

onl

y sl

ight

ly m

ore

di�

cult

than

that

whi

ch th

e ch

ild c

an s

ay. F

or e

xam

ple,

if h

e sa

ys, ‘

The

digg

er is

com

ing’,

you

say,

‘T

he y

ello

w d

igge

r is c

omin

g w

ith lo

ts o

f san

d’.

If th

e ch

ild h

as a

goo

d vo

cabu

lary

of o

bjec

ts a

nd p

arts

of o

bjec

ts,

star

t thi

nkin

g ab

out p

ositi

on w

ords

: on,

und

er, o

n to

p; s

ize:

big

, lit

tle, l

ong,

sho

rt; c

olou

r: re

d, b

lue;

num

ber:

1, 2

.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tCo

nsid

er v

aryi

ng th

e sa

nd p

lay

to c

reat

e in

tere

st. C

hang

e th

e sa

nd s

o th

at s

omet

imes

it is

dry

and

som

etim

es w

et. C

hang

e th

e to

ys to

pro

mot

e a

wid

er u

se o

f wor

ds a

nd to

hel

p th

e ch

ildre

n so

lve

new

pro

blem

s, e.

g. u

se s

peci

�c s

ets

of a

nim

als:

de

sert

ani

mal

s or

inse

cts,

with

or w

ithou

t nat

ural

mat

eria

ls s

uch

as tw

igs,

leav

es, f

ur c

ones

, etc

. On

othe

r occ

asio

ns tr

y pe

ople

, tru

cks

and

digg

ers

or tr

aditi

onal

buc

kets

, spa

des,

sand

whe

els

and

rake

s.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Sa

ndW

hy?

Child

ren

love

san

d. S

and

can

be u

sed

to d

evel

op v

ocab

ular

y an

d la

ngua

ge,

shar

ing

and

prob

lem

sol

ving

.

The

Dev

elop

ing

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

List

en, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.Fo

llow

the

child

’s in

tere

st.

List

en to

wha

t he

says

or t

ries

to s

ay a

nd p

rovi

de m

odel

s of

wor

ds

and

sent

ence

s. Av

oid

aski

ng to

o m

any

ques

tions

you

rsel

f.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

, wai

t and

wat

ch.

Enco

urag

e th

e ch

ild to

act

out

litt

le s

cena

rios

and

stor

ies.

En

cour

age

the

child

to p

lay

with

di�

eren

t cha

ract

ers

and

expl

ore

wha

t eac

h ‘p

erso

n’ d

oes

and

says

. If t

he c

hild

wan

ts to

, you

can

ta

ke o

n th

e ch

arac

ter o

f one

per

son

whi

le h

e pl

ays

with

ano

ther

, bu

t ens

ure

that

you

follo

w h

is s

tory

line.

If th

e ch

ild’s

play

is v

ery

repe

titiv

e, b

ring

in d

i�er

ent c

hara

cter

s or

to

ys a

long

side

the

favo

urite

s.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tPr

ovid

e a

wid

e va

riety

of m

inia

ture

pla

y eq

uipm

ent,

arra

nged

invi

tingl

y. It

is u

sual

ly h

elpf

ul to

kee

p di

�ere

nt to

pic

area

s in

di

�ere

nt b

oxes

but

if a

chi

ld w

ishe

s to

mix

them

, e.g

. zoo

ani

mal

s w

ith fa

rm a

nim

als

or h

ospi

tal e

quip

men

t with

cas

tles

and

knig

hts

this

can

hel

p to

pro

mot

e im

agin

atio

n. S

ortin

g th

e to

ys in

to th

e co

rrec

t box

es a

t the

end

pro

vide

s ye

t an

othe

r opp

ortu

nity

for t

alki

ng!

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t M

inia

ture

wor

ld to

ysW

hy?

Play

ing

with

min

iatu

re to

ys, e

.g. d

oll’s

hou

se, f

arm

s, et

c. re

pres

ents

the

next

sta

ge o

f de

velo

pmen

t and

ena

bles

a c

hild

to a

ct o

ut th

e ro

utin

es h

e ex

perie

nces

in h

is e

very

day

life.

Thi

s en

cour

ages

dev

elop

men

t of h

is im

agin

atio

n, a

nd h

elps

him

use

lang

uage

to

orga

nise

his

thou

ghts

, pla

n a

sequ

ence

of e

vent

s an

d be

gin

to e

xplo

re th

e th

ough

ts a

nd

feel

ings

of o

ther

s.

The

Dev

elop

ing

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

List

en, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.Fo

llow

the

child

’s in

tere

st.

Can

the

child

beg

in to

take

on

the

char

acte

r and

role

of t

he

pers

on h

e is

pre

tend

ing

to b

e? T

his

can

sign

i�ca

ntly

bro

aden

his

op

port

uniti

es fo

r ext

endi

ng h

is p

lay

and

expe

rimen

ting

with

the

thou

ghts

and

feel

ings

of d

i�er

ent p

eopl

e in

di�

eren

t situ

atio

ns.

The

use

of la

ngua

ge d

urin

g th

is ty

pe o

f act

ivity

is v

ery

impo

rtan

t fo

r the

chi

ld’s

deve

lopm

ent o

f soc

ial s

kills

and

em

path

y, b

ut a

lso

stor

ytel

ling

whi

ch w

ill s

uppo

rt h

is li

tera

cy s

kills

.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

, wai

t and

wat

ch.

Enco

urag

e th

e ch

ild to

act

out

litt

le s

cena

rios

and

stor

ies.

En

cour

age

the

child

to p

lay

with

di�

eren

t cha

ract

ers

and

expl

ore

wha

t eac

h ‘p

erso

n’ d

oes

and

says

. If t

he c

hild

wan

ts to

you

can

ta

ke o

n th

e ch

arac

ter o

f one

per

son

whi

le h

e pl

ays

with

ano

ther

, bu

t ens

ure

that

you

follo

w h

is s

tory

line.

If th

e ch

ild’s

play

is v

ery

repe

titiv

e, b

ring

in d

i�er

ent c

hara

cter

s or

to

ys a

long

side

the

favo

urite

s.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tPr

ovid

e a

wid

e va

riety

of d

ress

ing-

up c

loth

es w

hich

re�e

ct th

e ric

h di

vers

ity o

f a c

hild

’s lif

e an

d ex

perie

nces

. Con

side

r tim

es

whe

n th

e ra

nge

of c

loth

es a

nd p

lay

mat

eria

ls m

ight

be

them

e-ba

sed

so th

at a

chi

ld c

an d

evel

op a

them

e or

exp

lore

a

part

icul

ar s

ituat

ion

or fa

mili

ar s

tory

.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t D

ress

ing

upW

hy?

Dre

ssin

g up

enc

oura

ges

a ch

ild to

use

his

imag

inat

ion

and

to e

xplo

re th

e th

ough

ts a

nd

feel

ings

of o

ther

s. D

ress

ing

up c

an b

e an

ext

ensi

on o

f oth

er p

lay,

suc

h as

hom

e co

rner

or

outd

oor a

ctiv

ities

so

that

an

olde

r chi

ld c

an d

evel

op h

is p

lay

and

stor

y id

eas.

30–5

0 m

onth

s: T

he Q

uest

ioni

ng C

omm

unic

ator



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Cons

ider

giv

ing

each

chi

ld a

turn

at h

elpi

ng a

t caf

é tim

e.W

here

it is

saf

e, th

e ch

ild s

houl

d be

invo

lved

in fo

od p

repa

ratio

n,

e.g.

put

ting

food

on

the

plat

es, c

ups o

n tr

ays a

nd o

rgan

isin

g th

e ta

bles

. Thi

s pr

omot

es in

depe

nden

ce a

nd o

rgan

isat

ion

skill

s. It

also

pr

ovid

es v

alua

ble

one-

to-o

ne o

ppor

tuni

ties

for a

chi

ld to

hav

e th

e un

divi

ded

atte

ntio

n an

d co

nver

satio

n w

ith a

n ad

ult d

urin

g an

ev

eryd

ay s

ituat

ion.

Tidy

ing

up is

goo

d fo

r org

anis

atio

n an

d in

depe

nden

ce to

o.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nCo

nsid

er e

ncou

ragi

ng a

few

chi

ldre

n to

han

d fo

od ro

und

to s

mal

l gr

oups

of p

eers

. Enc

oura

ge th

e ch

ild w

ho is

o�e

ring

food

to u

se

lang

uage

, e.g

. ‘Am

i, w

hat w

ould

you

like

to e

at?’

and

for t

he c

hild

re

ceiv

ing

the

food

to a

sk fo

r wha

t he

wan

ts a

nd th

ank

the

child

w

ho h

as ‘s

erve

d’ h

im. T

he fo

od c

an th

en b

e pl

aced

on

the

tabl

es

for c

hild

ren

to h

elp

them

selv

es if

this

is th

e no

rmal

rout

ine

for t

he

sett

ing.

If

a ch

ild s

trug

gles

to u

se la

ngua

ge is

this

situ

atio

n, p

rovi

de

appr

opria

te m

odel

s an

d ex

ampl

es o

f thi

ngs

to s

ay.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tM

ake

sure

that

an

adul

t is

in th

e ca

fé to

kee

p th

e co

nver

satio

n �o

win

g. P

rovi

de a

wid

e va

riety

of s

nack

s to

enc

oura

ge e

ach

child

to tr

y di

�ere

nt fo

ods

and

lear

n th

e na

mes

of t

he d

i�er

ent t

hing

s: th

e na

mes

of p

arts

of t

he th

ings

we

eat,

e.g.

pee

l, pi

ps, s

kin;

and

des

crib

ing

wor

ds s

uch

as p

rickl

y, s

hiny

, sm

ooth

, rou

gh, r

ound

, hea

vy, l

ight

, etc

.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Ca

fé ti

me

Why

?Ca

fé ti

me

is a

n ev

eryd

ay ro

utin

e w

hich

can

pro

vide

val

uabl

e op

port

uniti

es to

dev

elop

vo

cabu

lary

and

soc

ial u

se o

f lan

guag

e.

The

Que

stio

ning

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Use

this

opp

ortu

nity

to e

ngag

e w

ith th

e ch

ild w

ho lo

ves

com

pute

rs a

nd d

oes

not u

sual

ly w

ant t

o ta

lk to

adu

lts.

The

child

will

hav

e th

e co

ntro

ls a

nd w

ill ta

ke th

e le

ad. H

owev

er,

coul

d th

e ch

ild p

ass

the

cont

rols

ove

r to

you

and

tell

you

how

to

com

plet

e an

act

ivity

? Thi

s w

ould

ena

ble

the

child

to s

hare

his

sk

ills

and

know

ledg

e an

d gi

ve d

irect

ions

, but

in a

real

situ

atio

n.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nSi

t alo

ngsi

de th

e ch

ild q

uiet

ly. L

iste

n, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.Be

min

dful

of w

hen

it is

app

ropr

iate

/hel

pful

to ta

lk a

nd w

hen

the

child

nee

ds ti

me

and

spac

e to

exp

lore

/sol

ve s

omet

hing

on

his

own.

Enc

oura

ge th

em to

take

turn

s w

ith s

omeo

ne e

lse

and

to

give

inst

ruct

ions

as

to h

ow to

pla

y th

e ga

me.

Focu

s on

wor

ds th

at d

escr

ibe

the

obje

cts

on th

e sc

reen

or

desc

ribe

a se

quen

ce o

f eve

nts

incl

udin

g co

ncep

ts s

uch

as n

ow,

and

then

, �rs

t, ne

xt, s

oon,

last

, etc

.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tPr

ovid

e a

wid

e va

riety

of g

ames

and

sto

ries

to e

nsur

e br

oad

expe

rienc

es. M

any

soft

war

e ac

tiviti

es fo

r thi

s ag

e gr

oup

targ

et

num

erac

y an

d lit

erac

y bu

t the

y ca

n al

so b

e us

ed to

dev

elop

lang

uage

.

Lear

ning

and

Dev

elop

men

t Co

mpu

ters

Why

?Co

mpu

ters

can

be

used

to d

evel

op la

ngua

ge. A

chi

ld c

an s

it w

ith a

frie

nd a

nd ta

lk a

bout

w

hat t

hey

can

see

or a

n ad

ult c

an p

rovi

de v

alua

ble

lang

uage

mod

els

to e

xten

d a

child

’s vo

cabu

lary

and

sen

tenc

es.

The

Que

stio

ning

Com

mun

icat

or



A U

niqu

e Ch

ild

who

is v

alue

d an

d lis

tene

d to

Prov

ide

the

appr

opria

te re

sour

ces.

List

en, w

ait a

nd w

atch

.G

ive

each

chi

ld o

ppor

tuni

ties

to w

ork

in s

mal

l gro

ups

and

orga

nise

them

selv

es to

act

out

sto

ries.

This

will

hel

p to

dev

elop

im

port

ant s

kills

of s

harin

g, a

rgui

ng, n

egot

iatio

n an

d re

spec

t of

othe

r peo

ple’

s vi

ews.

It is

impo

rtan

t to

give

eac

h ch

ild ti

me

and

spac

e to

do

this

, but

ther

e m

ay b

e tim

es w

hen

you

need

to

inte

rven

e an

d su

gges

t or m

odel

app

ropr

iate

reso

lutio

ns.

Posi

tive

Rel

atio

nshi

ps

that

bui

ld a

nd s

uppo

rt c

omm

unic

atio

nLi

sten

and

wat

ch th

e ch

ildre

n as

they

re-t

ell t

he s

tory

.If

a ch

ild �

nds

it di

�cu

lt to

rete

ll a

stor

y as

par

t of a

gro

up,

enco

urag

e hi

m to

sha

re a

sto

ry h

e lik

es ju

st w

ith y

ou. S

tart

by

shar

ing

the

book

. Rea

d it

seve

ral t

imes

on

di�e

rent

occ

asio

ns a

nd

grad

ually

enc

oura

ge h

im to

take

ove

r by

desc

ribin

g th

e pi

ctur

es.

Slow

ly in

trod

uce

pupp

ets

or re

sour

ces

from

a s

tory

sac

k w

hile

sh

arin

g th

e bo

ok a

nd w

ork

tow

ards

act

ing

out p

arts

of t

he s

tory

w

ithou

t ref

errin

g to

the

text

. If t

he la

ngua

ge a

nd le

arni

ng is

at t

he

child

’s pa

ce, h

is s

tory

telli

ng s

kills

will

gra

dual

ly d

evel

op.

Enab

ling

Envi

ronm

ents

pr

ovid

e ap

prop

riat

e re

sour

ces

and

oppo

rtun

itie

s fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

tSh

are

a br

oad

rang

e of

boo

ks o

ne-t

o-on

e w

ith c

hild

ren

but a

lso

in s

mal

l gro

ups.

Read

the

book

s an

d th

en p

rovi

de a

wid

e va

riety

of w

ays

of e

xplo

ring

the

book

s an

d st

oryl

ines

suc

h as

sto

ry s

acks

, dre

ssin

g-up

clo

thes

or m

inia

ture

cha

ract

ers

and

toys

whi

ch m

atch

a s

tory

and

pup

pets

of v

aryi

ng k

inds

. Pro

vide

a m

atch

ing

book

, with

the

page

s cu

t up

and

lam

inat

ed,

so a

chi

ld c

an a

rran

ge th

em in

ord

er (e

.g. h

ang

them

up

on a

was

hing

line

) and

tell

his

own

vers

ion.

Lear

ning

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Effective practice in securing parental engagement

family

Children are communicators from birth and the development of their speech, language and communication skills does not only happen in their Early Years setting. As this diagram illustrates, there are many other key people and places that make up the child’s ‘language learning environment’. If every child is to become an effective, all-round communicator, it is important to recognise the invaluable contribution of all those people and places that are important in a child’s life.

As the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) states: ‘Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators’ (EYFS Principles

into Practice Card 2.2). The EYFS statutory guidance places an expectation on Early Years providers to ‘maintain a regular two-way flow of information with parents’. This is because supporting parents to engage with, and be committed to, their child’s speech, language and communication development enriches the whole language learning environment of children and is an essential part of the journey towards Every Child a Talker.

Further information and ideas about the importance of involving parents can be found in these websites and documents.

Every Parent Matters• sets out government priorities and initiatives in the area of parental involvement.

The • EYFS section 2.2 ‘Parents as Partners’ includes examples of good practice and links to further reading and research evidence.

Visit the National Strategies website at • www.nationalstrategiescpd.org.uk/course/ view.php?id=111 to view a collection of case studies from local authorities who took part in the Parents as Partners in Early Learning project. These illustrate some successful ways in which settings have engaged parents in their children’s learning.

www.talktoyourbaby.org.uk• provides interesting information and resources for parents.

www.parentscentre.gov.uk• is the official DCSF website for parents.

www.fatherhoodinstitute.org• includes lots of information and research about involving fathers.



Barriers to parental engagementThe majority of parents want the best for their children but there may be a number of reasons why parents may not be fully engaged in supporting their child’s speech, language and communication development and why the Early Years setting is not reaching the parents of all the children who attend.

Reflective activity: Barriers to parental engagement will be individual to each parent and each setting. Spend some time as a staff group thinking about the possible reasons why parents that you work with may not be fully engaged.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

Is it because parents are working full time and cannot visit the setting during the working day? Is it because they are unaware of the importance of communication as a foundation skill and how and when it develops? Do they underestimate the important role that they can play or devalue their own role in comparison to the role of ‘professionals’?

For many settings, involving parents means implementing a ‘diary’ which is shared between home and setting and records important events

or organising an annual coffee morning. Although these activities are useful as starting points, they only go part of the way towards fully valuing the contribution that parents make to the education and development of their children. They are often like a one-way street from setting to home. This diagram shows the steps towards fully engaging parents as partners in their child’s learning. Each of these three steps are useful and important, and reaching one or all of the steps in your setting would lead to increased and improved parental engagement.

Step one: informed and enthused: Just as Early Years practitioners need to be inspired and enthused about reaching the goal of Every Child a Talker, parents also need to be encouraged to understand the value and importance of supporting and developing their child’s communication skills. Raising awareness and sharing enthusiasm, as well as informing parents about activities and achievements within the setting and sharing knowledge and ideas, is a simple way to begin engaging parents.

Step two: consulted and valued: Parents know their children best and possess a wealth of knowledge about their children’s communication skills, as well as opinions about what and how a setting can best provide for their child. Providing opportunities for parents to share this knowledge in ways that value their opinion will further increase engagement.

Step three: engaged partners: Parents who are fully empowered and engaged not only consult and comment on what is best for their child, but are confident, proactive partners alongside practitioners, supporting their child to develop speech, language and communication skills at home, in the Early Years setting and elsewhere.

Valued



Reflective activity: With your colleagues, think about the activities to promote parent engagement that your setting is already doing. Write them on sticky notes. Draw out the steps diagram above and stick each activity on the appropriate step. Do these activities inform and enthuse, consult and value or fully engage parents as partners? Use what you have written to stimulate discussion and plan for the future.

Securing parental engagement across the EYFSEngaging parents as partners across the EYFS involves valuing each Unique Child and their family, fostering Positive Relationships between parents and children as well as between the setting and home, supporting the creation of Enabling Environments and ensuring that active and creative Learning and Development takes place throughout the child’s language learning environment.

Here are some more practical ideas about how to engage parents as partners in supporting the development of children’s speech, language and communication skills.

Step one: informed and enthusedUse events such as coffee mornings, social evenings and open days as a starting point to share with parents the importance of communication. Make displays and send home leaflets, booklets, posters and other available promotional material such as DVDs or fridge magnets. Discuss and share ideas with parents about what children are capable of and the importance of communication as a basic skill for life.

A Unique Child: inform parents about what communication skills should be broadly expected of their child at each age and stage. Celebrate each child’s achievements in language development, making books together of ‘Baby’s First Words’ which encourages parents to remember and celebrate their child’s first words and the story behind this.



Positive Relationships: share with parents some ideas about what they can do to support children’s language development. Share parent–child interaction tips and consider having a ‘Tip of the week’ system. Access nationally available resources such as the I CAN Chatter Matters DVD (www.ican.org.uk/home/Resources.aspx). Also access locally available resources from your local speech language therapy (SLT) service, Early Years advisers or your Early Language consultant.

Enabling Environments: Ensure that your setting is a welcoming place for parents so that they feel positive about getting involved (for further ideas see the website www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/parentalinvolvement/). Inform parents about the features of a good language learning environment by letting them know what improvements you are making and why.

Learning and Development: Make sure that you communicate with parents about the topics or themes you are working on. Make a list of the relevant vocabulary, songs, rhymes and stories and share them with parents. Libraries can play a key role in supporting parents with storytelling and rhyme time sessions. Contact your local library to find out when the sessions are available and advertise these in your setting. Visit www.bookstart.org.uk to get more information about the free book offers available to children.

Step two: consulted and valuedTruly valuing the knowledge that parents have about their child’s communication and effectively consulting with parents will involve finding ways to record progress at home and in the setting that are accessible to all. This may be in the form of a diary or it may involve email contact for working parents or regular opportunities for one-to-one chats (with an interpreter if necessary). It may also include sharing photos or video clips between home and school and organising focus groups or opportunities for feedback in other ways.

A Unique Child: Allow parents to share their knowledge about how their child communicates by contributing to a ‘communication profile’. This can include staff observations as well as photos and contributions from parents, e.g. ‘words my child knows’, or ‘what helps my child to understand?’ This is especially important for children speaking English as an Additional Language or having difficulties communicating. Use the ECAT monitoring tool to summarise the information and to provide an overview of the child’s progress.

Positive Relationships: Find out what parents are already doing with their children at home to support communication and make a display or leaflet which celebrates these existing skills and allows parents to share good ideas with each other.



Enabling Environments: Ask parents’ advice about new resources (toys, books, furniture) you purchase for your setting. This will help you to choose resources that are culturally appropriate and popular with parents and children, and will help parents to feel ownership of the setting.

Learning and Development: Ask parents to comment on the play and learning opportunities provided in your setting. What things do their children enjoy? Ask them for suggestions of what they would like to see more and of what they would like to see less.

Step three: engaged partnersParents who are fully engaged in their child’s communication development will be thoughtful observers of their child and will be confident to share these observations with the setting. They will engage regularly in conversations and interactions with their child that support their language development. They will also view themselves as active partners in their child’s learning and development and will contribute to creative and active learning at home and, where possible, in the setting.

A Unique Child: Involve parents in writing up records and planning for each child. Where possible, try to meet with parents often. Encourage an ‘open door’ policy among staff so that parents can request a meeting or drop in at any time.

Positive Relationships: Parents who are confident supporters of their child’s communication will be willing to reflect on their own skills, share skills and ideas with others and continue to learn more. Encourage parents to take part in training that is already available and also to organise and request training for themselves.

Enabling Environments: Enable parents to access resources that can enrich the home environment such as toy libraries or swap shops. Support parents to plan and organise trips to local places like the library or further afield.

Learning and Development: Utilise the skills and knowledge of parents within the setting by asking parents to come along and lead a singing time or other activity. Some parents will find it difficult to attend the setting during the day so also encourage an evening or weekend session. Provide resources and suggestions of books, songs, games and activities that supplement their child’s learning and development at home, e.g. following a simple recipe together.

By engaging parents as real partners in the development of their child’s language and communication, you will be well on the way to ensuring that you reach the destination of Every Child a Talker.



Resources For the Early Years Foundation Stage materials visit www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs

Details of the Speech, Language and Communication Framework can be found at www.communicationhelppoint.org.uk

Communication, Language and Literacy Development: resources and information are available at www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/clld

Research into Effective Provision of Pre-School Education can be found at www.surestart.gov.uk/research/keyresearch/eppe/

Communication Friendly Toolkit: Improving Speaking and Listening Skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage (ISBN 1 85990 428 9) is available as a DVD and workbook from the Basic Skills Agency (www.basic-skills.co.uk)

Visit www.bookstart.org.uk to get more information about the free book offers available to children.

The I CAN Talking Point website provides lots of useful information for parents and practitioners at www.talkingpoint.org.uk

Community Playthings provide guidance and information about room layout, furniture and design of the Early Years environment. (www.communityplaythings.com)

The Fatherhood Institute has developed some useful information and toolkits on how to engage fathers. (www.fatherhoodinstitute.org)

Talk to Your Baby (www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby) provides lots of interesting and useful ideas for parents.

www.nationalstrategiescpd.org.uk/course/view.php?id=111 provides case studies from local authorities who took part in the Parents as Partners in Early Learning project. These illustrate some successful ways in which settings have engaged parents in their children’s learning.

www.parentscentre.gov.uk is the official DCSF website for parents.

To support practitioners in developing parental engagement in children’s early learning, PEAL training materials and resources have been produced which cover relationships, communication and partnership. (www.peal.org.uk)

The Early Years Foundation Stage can be ordered from DCSF Publications, tel: 0845 60 222 60 and quote reference: 00012-2007PCK-EN.

Copies of Letters and Sounds Phase One can be ordered from DCSF Publications, tel: 0845 60 222 60. Ref: 0013_2008 PCK-EN.

Comprehensive guidance on working with children learning English as an Additional Language can be found in Supporting children learning English as an Additional Language: Guidance for practitioners in the EYFS. from DCSF Publications, tel: 0845 60 222 60. Ref: 00683_2007BKT-EN.

Copies of the Inclusion Development Programme: Supporting children with speech, language and communication needs: Guidance for practitioners in the EYFS can be ordered from DCSF Publications, tel: 0845 60 222 60. Ref: 00215-2008BKT-EN.

This publication is printedon 80% recycled paper

When you have finished withthis publication please recycle it

80%

Audience: Early Language Lead Practitioners Date of issue: 11-2008 Ref: 00854-2008DOM-EN

Copies of this publication may be available from: www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications

You can download this publication and obtain further information at: www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk

Copies of this publication may be available from: DCSF Publications PO Box 5050 Sherwood Park Annesley Nottingham NG15 ODJ Tel 0845 60 222 60 Fax 0845 60 333 60 Textphone 0845 60 555 60 email: [email protected]

© Crown copyright 2008 Published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families

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Every Child a Talker

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