Fun Activities for

Language Development
A Guide for Parents

Language and Communication Service

Language and Communication Service

 Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Did you know? .................................................................................................................................. 5
Communication ................................................................................................................................ 6
Top Tips ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Attention and Listening ............................................................................................................... 10
Auditory Discrimination ................................................................................................................ 14
Auditory Memory ............................................................................................................................. 16
Concepts ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Prepositions ....................................................................................................................................... 25
Categories and Word Finding ................................................................................................... 28
Pronouns ............................................................................................................................................. 36
Syllables............................................................................................................................................... 39
Rhyme .................................................................................................................................................. 41
Following Instructions .................................................................................................................. 47
Wh Questions .................................................................................................................................. 50
Sequencing ........................................................................................................................................ 53
References and Resources ......................................................................................................... 55

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 Introduction
Why are Language and Communication skills so important?
Language and Communication skills are needed for thinking and learning.
If a child has difficulties mastering these skills, they might find it hard to;
 pay attention
 listen
 remember
 understand what somebody says
 think quickly about an appropriate response
 carry out instructions or
 make friends.

Purpose of this guide

Parents may wonder how to support their child if they have been found to have
Language and Communication difficulties. A number of Language and Communication
skills are outlined in the separate sections of this booklet, explaining what they mean
and what fun activities and games can be done at home. With support from parents or
carers, a child can be helped to develop these skills and feel more confident. Through
regular playing of these games and activities, your child can also be helped to;
 show improved attention, listening and memory skills
 develop an understanding of the sounds in words that they hear
 develop an understanding of the meaning of a wider range of words that
they hear
 use a greater range of words to pass on information
 respond with greater confidence, accuracy and fluency
 become more ready for reading, spelling and writing.

How can parents help

Work closely with your child's teacher, concentrating on just one or two Language
and Communication skills each week. Remember that the best way to help your child
develop language skills is to;
 talk to them
 read to them and
 listen to them.

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 Did you know?
Early language skills are the key to later success.

Spending just 10 minutes per day reading, talking

and playing with your child helps develop their
thinking skills, problem-solving skills, turn-taking
skills, language and social skills.

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 Communication
Communication is about giving and receiving messages. For communication to be
successful, we need;
 a speaker and a listener
 words that both understand
 speakers taking turns.

Conversations help develop friendships.

Language and conversation are essential for learning. Learning depends on;
 understanding what somebody says
 having to think about our response
 responding.

Reading and writing

float on a
sea of talk.

James Britton (1983)

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 Top Tips
When talking with your child
 Get down to your child’s level — it is easier to talk face to face.

 Get their attention before you start to talk.

 Wait and allow your child time to start the conversation.

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  Take turns in the conversation so that your child and you can talk.

 Join in your child’s play and mirror their actions.

 Have fun together with song and rhymes.

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 Build up your child’s sentences by repeating what they say and adding
words.

 Use daily routines to emphasise language.

 Give choices to increase vocabulary.

 Use lots of statements and use fewer questions.

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 Attention and Listening
Why is this so important?
Attention and listening are vital skills in the development of
language, speech sounds and literacy. Good attention is the
ability to focus the eyes and/or ears on something specific
for a certain length of time.
On average a child will have one minute’s attention for every
one year of their life.
If we are given two different pieces of information at once,
e.g. if we are expected to listen to music and look at the
demonstration, we may find that:
 we cannot do both at once
 we are probably more attracted to visual
information
 we have learnt the skills of blocking out one thing to concentrate on another.
Your child must be able to listen and be attentive to what is happening around them
in order to understand it. If not, they may have difficulties;
 paying attention to the speaker
 remembering what they have been told
 listening to long sentences
 following instructions.
A good attention span is needed before a child can begin to understand language.
Extending the time a child is able to concentrate on one activity will develop their
attention and listening skills. Many young children have a short attention span and
those with communication difficulties may have particular problems with
concentration.

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 Attention is the basis of ALL learning
Children can be helped to listen and look appropriately and to
control their own focus of attention.

Good looking!

GOOD
ATTENTION
SKILLS

Good sitting! Good listening!

Good thinking!

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 How to help develop your child’s
Attention and Listening

Story Time
Choose a story to read to your child. Then choose a target word which is
repeated often within the story. Before you begin, tell your child the word you
have chosen and ask them to listen carefully for that word and when they hear it
they can clap their hands.

Example;
Story: Goldilocks and the three Bears
Target word: Goldilocks
Action: Clap your hands

Remember that you can use other actions too, such as asking your child to put a
pebble in a cup every time they hear the target word.

‘Simon Says’
Play a game of ‘Simon Says’, with your child. This will encourage them to listen
and respond to the instructions you have given.
Make sure that you are playing the game in an area which has few distractions,
e.g. background noise, television, etc.

Play the Game

Ask your child to listen carefully for the instruction, e.g. ‘Simon says, “put your
hands on your head”.’ Once your child is able to follow single instructions like
this, you can see if they can listen for two instructions, e.g. ‘Simon says, “clap
your hands and stamp your feet”.’

Always remember to reinforce the Good Listening rules.

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 Listening for Sounds
Gather up a range of objects from around the house such as; keys, a ball, a cup
and spoon, buttons in a jar, a squeaky toy, a shaker (can be made from a butter
tub and rice), or any other noise making objects you have around your home.

Play the game

Put the objects in front of your child and then get
them to close their eyes. You can then make a
sound using one of the objects, e.g. shake the
keys.
Ask your child to identify the object which made
the sound.
Once they can do this, you can see if they can
identify a sequence of two sounds.

Jelly Bean Game

This activity can be carried out when you are at home. It
can involve a number of family or friends. The idea is that
one person calls out the different jelly beans and the
listeners pretend to be that type of bean. You should
remind your child to stand still and listen for instructions;
‘Jelly bean!’ = move around like a jelly
‘Jumping bean!’ = jump on the spot
‘Runner bean!’ = run on the spot
‘Broad bean!’ = make your body as wide as possible
‘String bean!’ = make your body as long/tall as possible
‘Mexican bean!’ = shout ‘Olé!’.

Have fun thinking of new types of beans and the corresponding activities.

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 Auditory Discrimination
What is this and why is it so important?
When children learn language, they need to be able to tell the difference between the
sounds they hear, i.e. spoken sounds, and everyday sounds.
Auditory means hearing sounds.
Auditory Discrimination means noticing the difference between the sounds that they
hear.
The activities described below, will be helpful for younger children. Have fun with
these games, as they can also help in the development of your child’s reading skills.

Guess the sound

For this activity look around the home and find objects which
make different noises, e.g.
 Whistle
 Bell
 Scrunched up paper
 Ripping paper
 Plastic bags
 Opening/closing of drawers/doors
 Dropping two coins
 Shaking bunches of keys, etc.

Once your child has had the opportunity to see the items and hear the
different sounds, ask them to look away and listen carefully, then identify
which item made the sound. Ask whether the sound was loud or quiet.

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 Guess the animal
Make the sounds of the animals in the pictures and see if your child can point to
the correct animals.
Try a practice one first, so your child understands the rules of the game.
Reverse the roles, getting your child to make the noise while you point.

Music time
Ideas for home-made instruments
 To make a drum, use an empty biscuit tin, with a wooden
spoon for the beater
 To make a shaker, put some beads, dried peas or pebbles
into a plastic milk bottle
 To make a xylophone, fill glasses with different levels of
water.
You will need to have two of each, one for you and one for your
child.
How to use
Make a sound. Encourage your child to copy you. Draw their
attention to the fact that the sounds from the same homemade
instruments are the same. On another day, play different instruments to show
them that the sounds are different.

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 Auditory Memory
What is this and why is it so important?
When children learn language, they need to be able to tell the difference between the
sounds they hear, i.e. spoken sounds, and everyday sounds.
Auditory means hearing sounds.
Auditory Memory means remembering the important sounds that we hear.
Some children find it hard to remember what has been said to them. They may need
help with;
 following multi-step directions
 recalling stories or songs
 remembering people’s names
 memorising numbers.

Your child may have been asked to complete tasks at home or in school. If they feel
confused, they may have difficulty remembering the instructions. It is helpful to try the
following activities with your child and develop their auditory memory.

Dressing-up Game
Collect a selection of clothes to use for this game. Use no more than 9 items . It
may be fun to use an adult’s clothes.
Discuss the clothes with your child
and make sure that they know the
name of each item.
Remind your child to listen carefully
and give them a list of items to put on
as quickly as they can, e.g. ‘Put on the
hat, a sock and the coat.’

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 I went to the shop and I bought….
This fun game can be played while in the
car, out for a walk or at home. Explain
that, in turn, each person repeats what
they have heard and adds on a new item
to the list. It can be fun to make the list
interesting, because then it will be more
memorable. It gets harder as the list gets
longer. The game ends when someone
cannot recall the list correctly, e.g.;
 ‘I went to the shop and I bought a carrot’
 ‘I went to the shop and I bought a carrot and a doll’
 ‘I went to the shop and I bought a carrot, a doll and a flower’
 ‘I went to the shop and I bought a carrot, a doll, a flower and a puppy’
 ‘I went to the shop and I bought a carrot, a doll, a flower, a puppy and
a …………………..’

Percy Parrot
Give your child the picture of Percy Parrot and tell them that Percy likes to
repeat things that others say and that they are going to pretend to be Percy.
Percy’s favourite things to repeat are numbers, so you
are going to say a list of numbers and you want them
to listen carefully and repeat them, e.g.;

Adult: ‘four, seven’ Child: ‘four, seven’

Adult: ‘three, nine, one’ Child: ‘three, nine, one’

Remember that you can swap roles with your child. Let them say a list of
numbers and you pretend to be Percy Parrot, repeating the numbers.
Instead of always saying numbers, why not try listing any objects and get ‘Percy’
to repeat them, e.g. ‘car, ball, house’.

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 Concepts
What are they?
The best way to explain concepts, is that they are words which help us to understand;
 location - e.g. up/down, behind/in front of
 number - e.g. more/less
 size - e.g. big/little
 time - e.g. before/after, first/last
 feelings - e.g. happy/sad.

Why are they important?

Concepts are used to describe and compare things. Learning to recognise and
understand concepts will strengthen your child’s vocabulary and help to build up their
pre-reading and early mathematical skills. Learning concepts can be great fun and you
can help at home too!
!

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 Understanding and using concepts
How you can help
 Ask your child's teacher for a
list of concepts coming up in
Numeracy, Language and
Literacy, World Around Us,
R.E., etc. This may include
concepts that your child hasn't
yet mastered or been taught,
for example few. Try to have
daily conversations that include
new words, e.g. 'I have a few
things to buy in the shop
before we go home’.
 If the topic is Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the child will need to
understand the concepts hard and soft which relate to the beds and chairs,
e.g. 'This bed is too hard', ‘This bed is too soft.’
 Walk around and talk about different objects that are hard (cup, table, pen),
and soft (teddy, towel, curtains). Encourage your child to feel the objects
and notice that hard objects tend to feel cold, whereas soft objects are often
warmer.

Easier activities
 Start by introducing one concept at a time, e.g. big/not big.
 Match items according to their colour, size, shape, feel, etc.
 Match pictures that are the same.

Advanced activities
 Talk about items not present, which draw upon your child’s experience and
knowledge of the world, e.g. ‘What was that digger doing in the field
yesterday?’
 Discuss the kind of describing words
which might be used, e.g. 'Did you see
the big wheels on the back and the small
wheels on the front?’
 Discuss the properties of objects and
how they can be related together, e.g.
'The ground is soft and the digger's
bucket is hard, so it can dig deep holes in
the ground.'

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 Understanding first and last
Why is this important?
First and last are concepts of time and sequencing. They refer to something
happening before or after something else. They are also significant order concepts
when creating sequences in Numeracy. You can do these activities with your child and
their friends or siblings.

How you can help

 Get the group to line up. Then ask your child to stand first or last in the line
 If they are unsure, show them where to stand
 Once you have given the instruction and your child has moved to the right
place in the line, reinforce this by saying where they are, e.g. 'Yes, now you
are first’.

Easier activities
 Use visual cues e.g. signing or pointing to where you want your child to
stand after you give the instruction
 Work on one concept only to begin with e.g. first. When this is established,
introduce last
 Link the idea of last to not first. This is how your child initially learns
opposites.

Advanced activities
 Reduce the number of visual or verbal cues, repetition or help given
 Use toys and photos, e.g. toy animals lined up, photo of sports day or
Olympics of the winner crossing the line
 With any of these activities, you can encourage your child to use the words
first and last by asking, ‘Where's Jody in the queue?’’, or, ‘Where's the
horse?' as the animals enter the field, etc.
 Link to time, e.g. 'What happened first in the story?’, 'What happened last?’.

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 Understanding same and different
Why is this important?
Same and different are important concepts used to describe similarities and
differences between objects. Sorting and matching are the first skills in early years
Numeracy. Visual discrimination of letter shapes which are the same or different, is
one of the first skills learned in early years Literacy.

How you can help

 Take two catalogues and have fun finding
pictures of objects that are exactly the
same. Ask your child to point to pictures that are the same, or those which
are different
 Look at all the SNAP cards in a box and find matching pairs.

Easier activities
 Start by introducing the concept same
 Matching the socks into pairs that are the same, or two biscuits that are the
same
 Ask your child to sort their toys and make a matching pair of any two toys
that are the same
 Ask your child to sort the pegs, by colour, shape or by touch. They can tell
you if any two items at random are the same or different.

Advanced activities
 Introduce items that are different but only
slightly, e.g. a red pencil and a blue pencil
 Encourage your child to tell you whether
items are the same or different
 Encourage them to sort items, identifying the properties of each item, e.g.
‘This pencil is long and red, but this
pencil is long and blue. Their colours
are different.’
 Play SNAP, slowly at first, then more
quickly.

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 Understanding big and little/small
Why is this important?
It is important that children are able to describe objects.
Big and little/small are often amongst the earliest
adjectives (describing words) that children learn. Usually
big is learned before little/small.

How you can help

 Gather together a selection of objects - one big and one little/small, e.g. big
cup, little/small cup, big pencil and little/small pencil.
 Explain that you are going to take it in turns to put the things away into a
box/bag.
 Take out a pair of items e.g. two cups, one big and one little/small. Tell your
child to find the big cup. and put it in the box.
 Adult: ‘What did you put in the box?’
 Child: ‘Big cup’
 Point to the remaining cup;
 Adult: ‘What shall I put in the box?’
 Child: ‘Little cup.’

Easier activities
 During outdoor play, ask your child to jump into a big/little hoop. Then ask,
'Which hoop are you in?'
 There are numerous opportunities throughout the day for reinforcing big
and little/small, e.g. laying the table (big spoon, little spoon), or reading
Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Advanced activities
 Increase the selection of big/little items so your child has to use a two word
phrase, big/little/small + object name. Use pictures as well as real objects.
 Say 'Bye-bye’ or ‘gone’ as you hide the item;
 ‘Bye-bye big cup!’
 ‘Small cup is gone!’
 Encourage the use of big or little/small items and where they’re going;
 Adult: ‘Where is the big cup?’
 Child: ‘In (the) box).’
 Adult: ‘Yes, the big cup is in the box.’
 Extend the ideas into other play or daily routines, e.g. as you fill the big jug
with water or use the little bucket to make a sandcastle.

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 Understanding many and few
Why is this important?
It is important that children are able to understand and describe amounts. These
concepts can be tricky to learn e.g. a few leaves on a tree may relate to a hundred
leaves, whereas a few biscuits left on a plate may only be three.

How you can help

The best way to help your child recognise and understand these concepts is to use the
words many and few in everyday conversation. Your child will copy your use of these
words and will become confident at using them in the correct context.

Easier activities.
 Hold a bag of sweets in your hand. Say, ‘I have many sweets in this bag,
would you like to take a few?’
 Collect together objects in the home and sort them into groups of many and
few, e.g. ‘Oh, there are many pegs in the basket.’, or ‘I see there are only a
few biscuits in the tin.’
 Talk about many and few during everyday routines, e.g. ‘There are many
peas/beans on your plate, but only a few fish fingers.’

Advanced activities
Encourage your child to continue using these words in everyday conversations,
thereby increasing their understanding and use of new vocabulary. Praise their use of
new vocabulary.

few many

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 Learning the meaning of before and after
Why is this important?
It is important that children can understand and talk
about concepts of time. Before and after are important
concepts in a child’s daily routine. The word after relates
to something happening later than something else, e.g.
‘Put your shoes on after your coat’, or ‘The number ten
comes after the number nine.' This is a key concept when
learning ordering and sequencing skills and also in relation to time, number and
counting.

How you can help

 Ask your child to put the daily activities in order. Link two activities, e.g. ‘You
can ride your bike after you have eaten your dinner.’
 Ask what they have to do first. This requires your child to understand that
the second part of the instruction (eating the dinner) has to be performed
first.
Easier activity
 Introduce the word after by putting it at the beginning of the sentence, e.g.
‘After going to the toilet, you should wash your hands’. This is easier as the
sentences are in the some order as the tasks to be done.

Advanced activities
 Introduce the word before as a contrast
 Link your child’s daily activities;
‘You can watch television after you have tidied away your toys.’
‘We have to tidy away your toys before you can watch television.’

Encourage your child to use the words before and after to describe simple sentences.

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 Prepositions
What are they?
A preposition is a word that describes the position of an object, e.g. in, on, under,
beside, between, behind, and in front of.

How you can help

The following tips can help to develop your child's understanding of prepositions.
 Give your child instructions to follow during play and everyday routines
 Describe where things are around the house, e.g. ‘The plate is on the table’’,
or ‘The toys are under the table’
 Lots of repetition will help your child to learn.

Everyday Prepositions
We use prepositions in our everyday
conversation without being aware that we are
using them. As you go through your daily
routines emphasise the prepositions you use
in your conversation and point out to your
child when they are using a preposition in
their actions, e.g.
‘Put your shoes in the wardrobe’
‘That book goes on the shelf’
‘Dad's paper is under the sofa.’
Comment on your child's actions, e.g.
‘Well done, you put your coat on the hook!’
‘Look, your car is in the box!’
‘Oh, you found your shoe under the table!’

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 Understanding under

Why is this important?

It is important that your child understands and uses the word
under. Some children find that under is the easiest preposition
to learn because it has two syllables which you can emphasise as
you speak , ‘un—der’.

How you can help

 Gather together some toys and place them under things in the
room. When your child finds something, they must say where it was,
using the preposition, e.g. ‘It was under the cup’, or ‘It was hidden
under my bed’
 If your child uses the wrong preposition, or doesn't respond, offer a
choice, e.g. ‘Was the car in the box or was it under the bed?’
 When everything has been found, play the game again, but this
time, ask your child to put the toys under things and tell you where
to find them.

Easier activities
 Use signs/gestures for under
 Hide some objects on things to begin with. Then move onto in when
your child is using on consistently
 Give your child a choice of where the object is hidden, e.g. ‘Is it on
the table or under the table?’
 Reduce the pressure by taking turns to say where things are hidden.

Advanced activities
 When your child is using under
consistently, reintroduce in and on and
work towards identifying the difference
between all three prepositions
 Share books, encouraging your child to
say what or where things are, e.g. ‘The
ducks are under the tree’, or ‘The river
goes under the bridge’.

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 Understanding behind and in front

Why is this important?

It is important that your child understands and
uses the words behind and in front to describe the
location of objects or people.

How you can help

 Gather together a few favourite character toys
 Explain that the toys are going to play a game and your child is
going to put them in different places. Say to your child;
‘Put Spiderman behind the curtain’
‘Put Barbie in front of the chair’
‘Put teddy in front of the fridge’.
 You can use things around the room or move items on the table,
e.g. cup, car, book. Ask your child to, ‘Put Spiderman behind the
cup!’
Remember to sit next to your child for this activity so that you are both
looking at things from the same perspective.

Other activities
 Vary the prepositions and include ones targeted earlier, e.g. in, on,
under
 Introduce other prepositions, e.g. next to and between
 Vary the toys used. You could play with the farm or the garage
 Play a 'Hide and Seek game - with real people hiding or hide toys
and describe where they were found.

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 Categories and Word Finding
What is this?
Sorting items into categories develops your child’s vocabulary skills by allowing them
to compare how objects are similar, how they belong within certain groups, and also
compare the function of the groups, e.g. food we eat, clothes we wear, vehicles you
drive. It also helps your child learn, store, and retrieve new vocabulary.

How you can help

Sorting objects into groups is something that we do every day without realising. Many
daily chores around the house can be used to help your child develop their
understanding of categories. Involve them in the activities listed below and use these
as opportunities to talk about where things belong and why.
 Sorting shopping. When putting away groceries. Ask your child to help you
decide where each item belongs, e.g. that goes in the fridge/fruit bowl/
cleaning cupboard/freezer/vegetable box/bathroom cupboard, etc.
 Tidy-up time. As you put things away around the home, talk to your child
about where they belong in the house or in a particular room, e.g. ‘Towels go
in the hot-press’, ‘your shoes go in your room’, ‘books go in the bookcase’,
‘toys go in the toy box’, or ‘clothes go in the wardrobe’.
 Doing dishes. While putting the dishes away, ask your child to tell you in
which cupboard each item belongs, e.g. ‘Cups belong in the cup cupboard’,
‘plates belong in the big cupboard’, ‘saucepans go in the pots cupboard’, or
‘knives, forks, and spoons go in the cutlery drawer.’

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 Washing Day
Involve your child in the job of sorting laundry. Ask them to help you to sort out
the clothes in your laundry basket in a number of different ways.

Sort by;
 colour
 name, e.g. trousers t-shirts,
socks, etc.
 fabric
 clothes you hang up/fold.

As you take each item from the basket

talk about its name, colour and which
group it belongs to.

Sort It Out
On the sort boards provided overleaf help your child to match each item to the
correct category.
Name and talk about each item with your child and help them decide in which
group the item belongs.
When you have decided where the item belongs, use a marker to match it to the
correct group.

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 Cheeky Monkey mix-up
Show your child the picture of Cheeky Monkey and explain that he likes
playing tricks.
Mummy Monkey has been tidying up and sorting out the things that go
together. Cheeky Monkey is playing a trick on his mummy and has mixed
some of the things up.
Look at the items on the next three pages.
Show your child each item in turn, name and talk about the thing in each
picture and ask them to tell you which things belong together and why.

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Cheeky Monkey mix-up

Language and Communication Service 33

 Cheeky Monkey mix-up

34 Language and Communication Service

Cheeky Monkey mix-up

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 Pronouns
What are they?
Pronouns are words used in place of naming words. For instances, when we talk about
a person, instead of repeating their name, we can use the pronoun instead, e.g.
A younger child may say, 'My daddy took me to the park. My daddy pushed me on
the swing and my daddy said I was a good boy’.
An older child may say, 'My daddy took me to the park. He pushed me on the swing
and he said I was a good boy’.
Other pronouns your child will be learning include she, I, you, we and they.

Understanding and using pronouns: He and She

How you can help
Find two character toys, one a girl, e.g. Barbie, and the
other a boy, e.g. Buzz Lightyear.
Demonstrate that the toys doing lots of different things,
e.g. brush hair, wash face. Say to your child, ’Look he's
washing his face', or 'Wow, she's jumping over that wall!'
Share books and use pronouns to talk about what's
happening, e.g. 'Oh look, he's running and she looks
happy when she's skipping’.
Talk about what children are doing in the park when you are out for a walk, or in
town. Use a lead-in phrase to help your child relate the pronoun to the male or
female, e.g. 'Look at that boy, he's playing hopscotch on the pavement' or 'Can
you see that lady? She's eating Tayto crisps'.

Activities
During play try including two other members of the family or friends, a male and
a female. This will give opportunities for them to use he or she.
Read simple fairy tales where a boy and a girl are involved, e.g. Hansel and
Gretel and emphasise the he and she. Can your child fill in the correct pronoun
if you pause and point to the boy or girl?

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 Understanding and using pronouns: I and you

How you can help

Tell your child that when we talk about ourselves we use the word I and when
we are talking to other people we say the word you.
Daily routines and play provide excellent learning opportunities. Use them to
reinforce the target pronouns. Some suggestions are listed below;

Activities
Tea Party
Have a tea party and encourage your child to
chat about the pretend food, e.g. ‘I would like
some juice. Would you like some juice too?' or
'Oh, I see you are having orange juice right now,
but I would like some water please.’
Hide and Go Seek
‘Where are you?’
‘Are you in here?'
‘I can see you’.
‘I found you’.

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 Understanding and using pronouns:
I, You and We
We know that pronouns are words that replace the name of a person. The word
we is used to replace the name of a group of people, including the speaker, e.g.
‘We wish you a happy birthday!', or
'We are all tired now after skipping’.

How you can help

 Set up a pretend tea party
 Gather together cups, plates, plastic cutlery, foods, pretend kettle and
teapot, etc.
 Play house, e.g. ‘We want to go to the party now. We want some
cake’
 Set up situations where you can use I, you and we. Then ask a
question, e.g.
Adult: 'I am putting on my coat. What are you and Mary doing,
Paul?'
Child: ‘We are putting on our coats.'

Activities
Use gestures as necessary, e.g. point to yourself when saying I, Point to your
child when saying you. Point to both of you, when saying we.
Take photos of your child enjoying familiar activities, such as riding a bike,
shopping, eating dinner. Encourage your child to describe the pictures, using I,
or we.
Encourage role-play using the pronouns. Try including teddy or another toy.
You can both ask questions: 'Barney, what do you want to eat?', Monkey says,
'We would like bananas!’

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 Syllables
Making spelling and reading easier
Spelling and reading can be made easier for your child, when they can break the word
into parts. These parts are called syllables. Some words have just one syllable. Many
words have two syllables, but very few words have five syllables.

How do we count syllables

The easiest way to count syllables is to pretend to be a robot.

He-llo
I am a ro-bot
My name is Pe-ter

If a robot were naming animals, he would say;

Cow = cow = one syllable
Giraffe = gi—raffe = two syllables
Elephant = e—le—phant = three syllables
Alligator = all—i—gat—or = four syllables
Hippopotamus = hi—ppo—pot—a —mus = five syllables
Another good method for teaching how to count syllables is to put your hand under
your chin. Say the word and count the number of times your chin bumps, e.g. Bob =
one drop of the jaw, Chris—to—pher = three bumps of the chin.
Try saying these names with you hand under your chin;
Bob = Bob = One syllable
Tony = To—ny = two syllables
Christopher = Chris—to—pher = three syllables
Alexander = Al—ex—an—der = four syllables
Alexandria = Al—ex—an—dri —a = five syllables.

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 I would like a ...
To do this you can sing with your child the words, ‘I would like a ... do—nut’.
Your child should be able to repeat what you have said and tell you the number
of syllables in the food item. If they are unsure, get them to say it as a robot.
Get your child to then state what they would like and tell you the number of
syllables in that food item. Have fun asking for food with three of four syllables.
The pictures below can be used as visual cues, if required.

Guess what?
Another method used to count the parts of a word is to clap out each syllable as
a beat while you say the word slowly.
In this game the child must listen as you clap out the beats and then find a
picture that has the same number of syllables from the selection below
Extend this then to include items around the home.

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 Nursery Rhymes
It can be great fun to say nursery rhymes, sing songs and make music with your child.
You can do this when you are walking, shopping, driving or at home. This helps to
develop your child's language skills in many ways, including;
 Attention and Listening skills
 Turn Taking skills
 Awareness of sounds in words.
Songs and rhymes can also be helpful during everyday situations to;
 Calm or energise
 Distract when upset, e.g. 'I hear thunder, I hear thunder. Hark don’t you?’
 Help through routines, e g 'This is the way we wash our hands, wash our
hands, wash our hands. This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands,
wash our hands. Early in the morning”.

Nursery Rhyme Activity

Nursery Rhymes can be short, repetitive and action packed. Read rhymes to
your child, such old favourites like Humpty Dumpty or Jack and Jill.
Remember to repeat the rhyme many times before you expect your child to join
in with you.
When your child is familiar with the rhyme, you can
say it, and stop just before a rhyming word, prais-
ing your child when they fill in the blank.
Adult: 'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty
Dumpty had a great ...’
Child: '… fall'
Adult: 'Well done, All the king's horses ...’

Remember that rhyming activities are a great way to pass the time on journeys.

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 Incy Wincy spider Two Little Dickie Birds

Incy Wincy spider climbed the Two little dickie birds

water spout. sitting on a wall.
Down came the rain and
One named Peter,
washed poor Incy out.
one named Paul.

Fly away Peter!

Out came the sun and
Fly away Paul!
dried up all the rain.
So, Incy Wincy spider Come back Peter!
climbed up the spout Come back Paul!
again.

Baa Baa Black Sheep Twinkle, twinkle, little star

Baa, baa, black sheep, Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

have you any wool? how I wonder what you are!
Yes, sir, yes, sir, Up above the world so high,
three bags full; like a diamond in the sky.
One for the master, Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
and one for the dame, how I wonder what you are!
and one for the little boy
who lives down the lane.

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 Hey diddle diddle Hickory dickory dock

Hey Diddle Diddle, Hickory, dickory, dock.

The cat and the fiddle, The mouse ran up the clock.
The cow jumped over the The clock struck one,
moon. The mouse ran
down,
The little dog laughed, Hickory, dickory,
To see such sport, dock.
And the dish ran away with
the spoon.

Little Miss Muffet Little Bo Peep

Little Miss Muffet Little Bo-Peep has lost

sat on a tuffet, her sheep,

eating her curds and whey. and doesn't know where to

find them.
Along came a spider,
Leave them alone,
who sat down beside her,
and they'll come home,
and frightened
Miss Muffet wagging their tails behind
away. them.

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 Listening for a rhyme
Parents should note that when doing these rhyme activities the child should
concentrate on the sound of the word and not on reading the word. These rhyme
activities can be done while the child has their eyes closed or has their back to you
while you read.

Rhyme Time Activity 1

Tell your child to listen carefully as you read 3 words and encourage them to
tell you which word that does not have the same final sound, e.g. you say,
‘Dog, Log, Bed’ then ask, ‘Which one does not rhyme?’ Your child should be
able to answer, ‘Bed.’ Say these words slowly emphasising the final sound,
e.g. ‘d-og, l-og, b-ed’. Here are some examples for you to read aloud slowly…

Pen Ten Pencil

Car Bar Van
Key Tree Bird
Blue Broom Glue
Man Vet Van
Red Bed Sheep
Chair Bear Table
House Horse Mouse

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 Rhyme Time Activity 2

Tell your child to listen carefully as you read 3 words and encourage them to
tell you which two of those words have the same final sound, e.g. Say ‘D-og,
L-og, H-ouse’
Your child should be able to tell you that d-og and l-og have the same final
sound or rhyme. Here are some examples for you to read aloud slowly…

Red Bed Shoe

Car Sweets Jar
Bed Chair Bear
Pig Jig Cow
Pen Mouse Hen
Moon Shoe Spoon
Brush Mop Top
Pin Hair Chin
Sock Shoe Rock

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 Rhyme Time Activity 3

Choose an object from around the house and name it, e.g. a hat
Ask your child to say a word that has the same final sound as hat, e.g. bat,
cat, mat, splat. Words which have the same final sound are said to rhyme.
Now try to say a word which rhymes with these…

Hat Bat Cat ………….

Pot Tot Rot ………….
Bed Fed Red ………….
Pen Ten Hen ………….
Pin Bin Win ………….
Bun Fun Sun ………….
Tan Fan Can ………….
Tall Fall Wall ………….

You can try this activity with a variety of words a few times throughout the
weeks.

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 Following Instructions

As your child's language develops they are able to understand more information in an
instruction or sentence. Young children may only be able to follow one or two key
words and they can get confused and anxious if they do not understand.
As adults, we need to carefully consider the number of information carrying words
we use when giving our children instructions. The information carrying words are the
ones that your child really needs to understand in order to follow the instruction, e.g.
'Do you see that red coat over there, would you ever hang it on the chair?'
This sentence has 16 words, but it has three information carrying words which carry
the meaning of the sentence.
‘Get the red coat and put it on the chair.’
Have a go at the following activities to help develop your child's ability to follow
instructions.

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 Following Instructions—2 Word Level
Collect a dolly and a teddy from your child's toy box. Gather a range of
household objects such as a; brush, spoon, keys, book, shoe, ball, cup, etc.

Activity
Sit down with your child and place the dolly and the teddy in front of you
both. Give your child instructions with 2 key words, e.g.
'Give dolly the keys’
‘Give teddy the ball’
‘Give dolly the book’.

Following Instructions - 3 word level

Gather a range of items from around your home.
They can be household items or toys; car, book, spoon, teddy, box, etc.

Activity
Play a game where you get your child to follow your instructions. Give your
child instructions with 3 key words, e.g.
'Put the book on the table'
'Put the car under the chair'
‘Put the spoon in the box’.

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 Following Instructions - 4 word level
This is a practical activity which you can practise with your child when you are
putting away the shopping.

Activity
 Place all the shopping on the table.
 Talk to your child about all the things which you have bought,
e.g. bread, milk, juice, bananas, cereal etc.
Give your child a 4 word level instruction, e.g.
'Put the milk in the fridge and the bananas in the bowl'
'Put the bread in the cupboard and the juice in the fridge '.

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 Wh Questions
What are they?
As parents of a young child, no doubt you already know that What is the earliest
question mastered! Then your child will ask and answer Who and Where questions.
Later, they will be able to ask and answer When and Why questions.
Understanding and using wh questions enables your child to ask and answer
questions about the world around them.
Every day you have many opportunities to give your child practice in questioning and
answering techniques. Try to work it into everyday routines or conversations to make
it more natural for your child. Use everyday activities, look at others, looking at
photographs or storybook, or pictures in schoolbooks.
It is important to only work on only one type of wh question at a time, so as not to
confuse your child.

What? Questions
Example questions
 'What is that?'
 'What is her name?'

?
 'What is Spot doing?'
 'What does he want?'
 'What did Goldilocks eat?'
 'What are they looking for?'
 'What time it?' what happened
 'What colour is Noddy's car?'
 'What do you like on your pizza?'
 'What happened next?'
 'What do you think will happen next?'

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 Who? Questions
Example questions

?
 ‘Who is that?'
 ‘Who sits beside you?'
 'Who are the children on your team?'
 'Who scored the winning goal?'


'Who lives in the castle?'
'Who wants ice-cream?'
who
 Who is going to help me wash the dishes?'
 'Who would like to sing and dance?'

Where? Questions
Example questions

?
 'Where does he live?'
 'Where did Harry hide the ball?'
 'Where are we going tomorrow?'
 'Where do you wear your shoes?'
 'Where did Jack and Jill fall down?'
 'Where do we put the milk?' where
 'Where do Pandas live?'
 'Where were the Three Billy Goats Gruff going?'
 'Where will they find Goldilocks asleep?'

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 When? Questions
Example questions
 When do you wear your boots?'

?
 'When do you brush your teeth?'
 'When did we go to the seaside?'
 'When will Santa come?'
 'When it is raining, do you play outside?'
 'When you are happy, do you smile?'
when
 When do owls fly about in the sky?'
 'When do you have to go to bed?'

Why? Questions
Example questions

?
 ‘Why is the boy happy?'
 'Why did the lady shout?'
 'Why will the man be sad?'
 'Why did Spot hide in the box?'
 'Why do we have to show kind hands?'
why
 'Why was Baby Bear crying?
 'Why do you feed the fish every day?'

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 Sequencing
What does sequencing mean?
Sequencing means putting things in order. It is needed for thinking, understanding,
speaking, reading, writing, and counting.

How you can help

You can help your child develop sequencing skills through play using language
associated with familiar routines such as;
 Waking up in the morning
 Getting dressed
 Eating breakfast
 Brushing teeth
 Going to school
To the tune of 'Here we go round the Mulberry bush', sing;
‘This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth,
This is the way we brush our teeth, early in the morning.
This is the way we wash our face, wash our face, wash our face,
This is the way we wash our face, early in the morning.’
You do the actions as you sing each line, e.g. brush teeth, wash face, brush hair, put on
my shirt, shoes, eat breakfast, say goodbye, etc. Your child has to copy the sequence
of actions with you.

Advanced activities
Instead of singing about morning activities, you can ask your child what they do when
you know it’s bedtime, e.g.
‘This is the way we brush our teeth, brush
our teeth, brush our teeth,
This is the way we brush our teeth, when
we know it's bedtime,
This is the way we say our prayers, say
our prayers, say our prayers,
This is the way we say our prayers, when
we know it's bedtime’.
It can also be great fun to say a sequence
of actions and your child has to do them
in the correct order, e.g. ‘clap, jump, stamp, hop, hands on head, tap knees!’

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 Daily Routines
It helps to talk through the daily routine, with your child. Use the words, 'first’.
'next’. and 'then' to put activities in order.
When you have talked about a routine a number of times, your child will be
able to tell you what comes next, e.g. Adult: 'You have brushed your teeth, so
what do we do next?'
Eventually your child may be able to talk you through the steps of the
sequence independently.

Sequencing Routines
 Getting ready for bed
 After school routine
 Making breakfast
 Bath time
 Brushing teeth
 Making a sandwich
 Getting ready for school.
During your daily routines and activities, e.g. bathroom routine, talk about the
steps in the sequence of actions as you do them, e.g. 'First you wash your
face... next dry it with the towel.... then brush your teeth'.

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 References and Resources
Useful telephone contact:
Language and Communication Service Contact telephone: 028 8241 1360

Useful web-links:
ICAN - The Children's Communication Charity
www.ican.org.uk
Talking Point
www.ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point
The Communication Trust
www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk
AFASIC
www.afasic.org.uk
Talk for Meaning
www.talk4meaning.co.uk
General Language and Communication information website
www.royalwolverhampton.nhs.uk/services/service-directory-a-z/speech-and-
language-therapy-children/activities-and-advice/understanding-of-language/

Useful Educational Apps:

Splingo's Language universe

Speech with Milo

Super Duper Inc Publications

Smarty Ears

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 Suggested Books
A great number and range of children's books are available today. No doubt you and
your child have many favourites, but here are some suggestions about others which
you might like to use to support talking and language learning. The following books
are available on request from your local library. Have fun with them!

Picture books
Picture books can be used to support conversation between you and your child.

56 Language and Communication Service

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Books to support Language and Communication
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
To support sequencing, concepts, categories, and word-finding.

Where’s Spot by Eric Hill

To support prepositions .

Dear Zoo (A Lift-The-Flap Book) by Rod Campbell

To support concepts, categories and word-finding

The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr

To support concepts, categories, word-finding and sequencing

The Cat In The Hat by Dr Seuss

To support rhyme

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

To support rhyme

Goldilocks And The Three Bears by Robert Southey

To support concepts

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

To support sequencing and prepositions

Acknowledgements:
WellComm Screener Activities - GL Assessment
Images from; unsplash.com, vecteezy.com, pixabay.com, amazon.co.uk, piqsels.com,
1001freedownloads.com, morguefile.com, stockvault.net, gratisography.com,
twinkl.co.uk, Communicate in Print, Black Sheep Press and Top Tips for Talking
Leaflets.

Thanks to:
Louise Hughes, Moya Quinn, Jenny Marjoram, Clare McGeown, Maura Waite, Caroline
MacPhillips, David MacDermott, the Language and Communication Team, EANI
Southern Office.

Pauline Duggan, Senior Teacher, Manager of Language and Communication Service,

SELB
1st Edition September 2016
2nd Edition April 2020

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