Find out things you, your partner and family can do, to help grow your child’s language and communication skills
On this page
- What your baby can do
- How can you help
- What you can do
- What to do if you need advice
- Start Talking together leaflet
What your baby can do
At 18 months to 2 years, your child can
- Understand simple questions and instructions, for example, 'Where’s granny?'
- Point to body parts and using simple gestures like waving
- Use 10 or more words (these won’t always be clear)
- Get your attention by pointing or making noises
- Pretend to use real life things when playing, for example making tea
- Copy new sounds and words they hear
Language for life
Language for Life Talking Together, Ages and Stages booklets from Nottinghamshire Healthcare trust can help you to understand what stage your baby is at in their development.
Language for Life Talking Together I'm 2 years old and using lots of words [PDF]
Further booklets can be found at Language for Life - Look what I can do (NHS Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust)
Speaking more than one language
If you speak more than one language at home, it's important to talk to your child in the language, or languages, you feel most confident speaking.
Children who speak more than one language babble and say their first words in the same way as children learning one language, but some may do it slightly later. It is important not to confuse this slight delay with language difficulties – most children quickly catch up.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust have useful information about bilingualism. They have produced the Language for Life Talking Together, Maintaining Your Child’s First Language booklet in English, Polish, Arabic, Romanian and Urdu
To find out more, visit Bilingualism (NHS Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust)
How can you help
Family Hubs
Nottinghamshire Family Hubs are great places for families with new babies, offering lots of support, such as the under one's stay and play session which is open to everyone, so they’re an excellent place for you to meet other families with young babies in your local area and make friends.
We also have
- New Parents groups
- Baby Massage Sessions
- Baby Little Talkers groups
- BABES support groups for mums who choose to breastfeed their babies
- Baby Incredible Years groups
- PHEW groups (Parent Health & Emotional Wellbeing)
- PEEP Groups What is PEEP? Two Minute Guide (People Learning Together YouTube video)
Contact your local Family Hub:
Find your nearest Family Hub (Nottinghamshire County Council)
Speech and Language UK
The children’s communication charity Speech and Language UK provide support to parents and carers, and practitioners in helping children develop their speech, language and communication skills. Use their online Progress Checker to see how your child is getting on with their speech, language and communication development.
Find this and more free resources and services on their Help for families webpage
What you can do
There are lots of opportunities in the community and at home to help your baby's language development. Here are a few ideas that are low cost, no cost to try.
Inspire Libraries
Our friends at Inspire have lots of family learning and activity sessions, which are a great way to support your little one’s speech, language and communication.
Rattle, Rhyme and Roll sessions for babies and toddlers are held at many libraries. These free sessions last about 30 minutes. Find your closest Rattle, Rhyme and Roll sessions (Inspire Libraries)
Story Hullaballoo sessions are for children under the age of five and include stories, songs and rhymes. These free sessions last about 30 minutes. Find your closet Story Hullaballoo sessions (Inspire Libraries)
To find out about other family learning sessions Inspire offers, go to Children and Families - (Inspire Libraries)
A Bookstart pack, is available from your Healthy Families Team practitioner (health visitor) or when you register as a library member with Inspire Libraries.
Children aged 0 – 5 with additional needs can receive a second Bookstart pack as well.
Visit Bookstart Packs (Inspire Culture, Learning, Libraries)
BookTrust
BookTrust is the charity behind Bookstart, they have lots of ideas for fun things to do as a family.
Visit: Supporting Parents, Carers and Families (BookTrust)
Words for Life
The National Literacy Trust have fun activities for one to two years old to help practise language and communication skills on their Activities for 1-2 Years (Words for Life)
The National Literacy Trust has produced a Chat, Play, Read Activity Booklet free to download. Filled with fun and simple activities to support your child to learn new words and develop their language and communication skills. It is also available in different languages.
Find out more and download Chat, Play, Read activity booklet (Words for Life)
Look Say Sing Play
Right from birth, every time you talk, sing or play with your baby, you're not just bonding, you're building their brain.
NSPCC have some fun and easy tips to help you bring even more enjoyment into your daily routines. Aimed at parents and carers of children under the age of two.
You can also sign up to receive new tips, tailored to your child's age, each week.
Go to Look, Say Sing, Play
Singing
Singing rhymes is one of the easiest ways you can support your child's speech.
'Sing songs and rhymes with me' is a great little booklet of nursery rhymes produced by the Speech, Language and Communication Service at NHS Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust.
Download Language for Life-Sing songs and rhymes with me [PDF]
For lots of top tips and advice, go to How you can help your child?-(NHS Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust)
You can join in with some Songs and rhymes videos (NHS Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust)
For more great ideas, go to
- Singing nursery rhyme lyrics with babies and children (Words for Life)
- Sing With Piccolo Activity Ideas (World Nursery Rhyme Week)
Best Start in Life parenting hub
Find some ideas to help children aged 1 to 2 years with their First words and little sentences (Best Start in Life)
CBeebies Parenting activities
Discover some activities to help with early communication and listening skills:
Activities for 18 to 2 years olds (CBeebies Parenting)
Things to do at Home
We've gathered more ideas on communicating with your baby, and activities you can try at home on our Things to do at home: 18 to 2 years old (Your Notts Directory) page.
What to do if you need advice
From around 18 months, your child may
- be listening and responding to a simple instruction like: “Adam, put on your shoes?”
- using a range of adult like speech patterns (jargon) and at least 20 clear words?
- understand lots of different single words and some two-word phrases, such as “give me” or “shoes on”?
Source: Development Matters 2021
Where to get advice
If your child goes to a childminder, pre-school playgroup or day nursery, do speak to your child’s key worker. They may well have noticed that your child needs some help with communication and will have some ideas of things that will help.
If you feel your baby is not responding to sound or to your voice, please contact one of the below services
Nottinghamshire's Healthy Family Team
Telephone: 0300 123 5436
Find out more, go to Healthy Family Teams (Directory Listing)
For parents and carers of children aged 0 to 19 years and for young people aged 16 to 19.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare Speech and Language Advice Line
Telephone:0300 123 3387 OPTION 1
Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City (except Bassetlaw)
Opening times:
Monday and Tuesday 9.30am to 4.30pm
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9am to 12.30pm
Talking and communication drop ins
Come along to one of our early years drop-in sessions for children under 4 years old if you'd like to talk with us about your child's talking and communication.
No need to book! Just pick a date and come along with your child at any time during the session.
Your GP
Start Talking together leaflet
Our Start Talking together leaflet give lots of top tips on how you and your family can help develop your little one’s talking. We hope you find it useful.
Download the Start Talking together leaflet [PDF]