Early Years

Expectations for all settings

Practitioners support children with their communication and language development.

What this may include/ look like

• Spend time listening to children and having conversations with them.
• Provide lots of stimulating experiences to help children develop their communication.
• Adults provide a good language model repeating what a child says and correcting grammatical errors (e.g. a child says "I see'd a car" adult repeats "yes you saw a car").
• Ensure consistency in language between adults.
• Provide a calm, predictable environment through clear and consistent routines that help children feel safe and able to engage.
• Provide developmentally appropriate play opportunities including access to easily recognisable toys and other more open-ended resources which invite children to play imaginatively.
• Use multi-sensory approaches (e.g. use of props, story sacks etc).
• Provide games/ opportunities to develop listening and attention skills such as anticipation games.

For some children the following strategies will be beneficial:

• Get down to the child's level and gain their attention before speaking by saying their name and gaining eye contact (where appropriate).   Support hearing and interactions, ensuring the child knows you are communicating directly to them.  Give the child an opportunity to switch their attention to focus. 
• Adults join in with an activity the child has selected and play alongside to support turn taking, possibly in group games (e.g. "my turn to push the car and now your turn to push the car").
• Adults match their language level to the child's understanding, such as using only one information carrying word when giving instructions to support their processing and understanding.  
• Use simple, clear language in the right order when giving instructions and providing visual prompts alongside instructions to support understanding. 
• Use clear and specific language and say what you want the child to do rather than what you don't want e.g. 'walk' or 'walk nicely' rather than 'don't run'.
• Allow time for children to process instructions and repeat the instructions if necessary, using exactly the same instruction, no rephrasing.
• Check that the child understands instructions by getting them to repeat back what they have to do.
• Support instructions with visual prompts, gestures or signing and emphasise the key words.
• Use a visual timetable for the daily routine and break this into shorter sections for the sequencing of an activity.
• Use timers (as appropriate) to help the child focus for increasing lengths of time.
• Use a talking object that is passed around to show who is talking.
• Develop listening skills by using positive verbal prompts (e.g. "good waiting" supported by visual prompt cards).
• Reduce distraction and sensory load by seating the child in a calm area and providing access to quiet, low‑stimulus spaces when needed.
• Use specific praise and positive reinforcement immediately when warranted e.g. "I like the way you waited your turn" rather than simply "good boy".
• Provide opportunities for children to communicate when they are not yet able to do this verbally (e.g. PECS symbols, communication books/ cards).