Why language development is important for children

Good practice includes:. Early years providers need to offer experiences and opportunities for young children to develop their speech and language skills. Stimulating activities include:. With 1 in 10 children having speech, language and communication needs SLCN , it is vital that early years practitioners can identify when children might be having difficulty. Early years staff need to receive adequate training and understand how to support children, making referrals to speech and language professionals where necessary.

Children with SLCN can have difficulties with fluency, forming sounds and words, formulating sentences, understanding what others say and using language socially. Language difficulties can affect children learning and accessing the curriculum and can impact on emotional development resulting in behavioural difficulties and problems forming friendships.

Research suggests that early intervention can prevent children from a widening gap of attainment later in life and without the right support, SLCN can be persistent with wide-ranging impacts and often reduced life chances. It is therefore essential that early years practitioners can identify any concerns and work with parents to help children get the right level of support.

The EYFS states that for children whose home language is not English, early years providers must take reasonable steps to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning, supporting their language development at home. Early years providers must also ensure that children have sufficient opportunities to learn and reach a good standard in English language during the EYFS, ensuring children are ready to benefit from the opportunities available to them when they begin Year 1.

Speech Teach UK is a website for parents and professionals supporting children with speech difficulties. Your child can understand more than they can say. Your child will understand much of what you say, and you can understand most of what your child says to you. Unfamiliar people will understand about half of what your child says.

Find out more about language development from years. Your child might play and talk at the same time. Strangers can probably understand about three-quarters of what your child says by the time your child is three.

Your child will probably also want to talk about a wide range of topics, and their vocabulary will keep growing. And you can look forward to some entertaining stories too. Find out more about language development from years and language development from years. Your child will also become a better storyteller, as they learn to put words together in different ways and build different types of sentences. Ofsted inspectors will check to see whether early years practitioners are using adequate strategies to help children develop their communication and language skills.

We will provide some ideas of strategies you can use later in this article. As a result, it is important to do whatever you can to help the children and babies in your care to improve their communication and language skills. Our course on Supporting Speech and Language Development in Early Years explains what typical development in this area looks like, discussing a range of support strategies approved by speech and language therapists, and going into detail about speech, language, and communication needs — including what causes them, warning signs, and how to help children who you know or suspect might have them.

Have a look at our course library to see this and other courses that we offer. As with all types of development, things can go wrong when children are learning to communicate. This could be due to difficulties with learning, cognition, hearing, or sight, or a poor learning environment with little interaction with adults.

In this section, we will describe the different types of language problems, their symptoms, and what you should do if you suspect a problem. Being aware of the different types of language problems will help you to communicate the problem to a professional, if necessary, as well as giving you an idea of how you can help in the meantime.

However, if you are worried that a child is behind where they should be, making a list of when they do achieve each milestone will help you see whether there is a pattern.

On the other hand, early intervention can be extremely helpful and mitigate any effects of the delay or disorder. The GP will refer the child to a speech and language therapist, if necessary.

The speech and language therapist can decide what can be done to help, and what the potential for change is their speech therapy goals. They might give parents exercises to do with the child, or have one-to-one sessions with them. Try to understand the problem thoroughly so that you can be empathic and make it easier for the child. We have put together eight strategies that you can use to encourage children to develop their language. By 5 years, he can understand the concept of opposites and can speak in sentences of up to nine words.

A parent can encourage the development of language skills with a child by interacting regularly, singing songs and reading simple stories. As a child grows, she can talk about her day or explain her likes and dislikes. A parent can play games with a child, such as naming objects or practicing concepts of direction; for example: in, out, over and through. Visiting a library encourages reading stories, and a parent can teach a child simple stories and rhymes to encourage repetition and language.

While most children follow their own timetable for developing language, there are some signs that can indicate a concern. A child between 18 and 24 months who is unable to follow very basic commands or who has trouble making vocalizations may be showing signs of a language development difficulty. For a child older than 2 years, professional help may be needed if his speech is unintelligible most of the time or if he does not try to copy sounds or gestures.