Tips and Advice

Talk to me before I am born… think of the bond we will form

Talking & singing to babies in the womb develops the attachment between parent or caregiver and the child. Babies learn a lot before they are born. At 16-20 weeks they can hear your voice and other sounds from the womb. At 24-28 weeks their hearts beat faster when they hear music & they will remember the music they hear in the womb when they are born.

Helpful tips:

• Talk, sing and play music to your bump
• Encourage close friends & family to talk to your bump too
• Rub your tummy when your baby kicks – this can become a ‘conversation’

Words by one make talking fun... copy my actions, sounds and words

By responding to your child’s actions, sounds and words you open communication & turn taking, and this will help develop back and forth ‘conversations’ right from the new-born baby stage. Early ‘conversations’ may consist of smiling or a baby waving their arms and legs in excitement.

Helpful tips:

• When your baby is making noises and different expressions, look and listen to show you are interested
• Copy noises and expressions your baby makes, smile and talk to them – this will encourage them to keep making ‘conversation’
• When your child tells you about their day, listen and ask them questions.

Crawlers to walkers, babblers to talkers… talking is just as important as walking

Communication is as important as the more visual and physical milestones, such as crawling and walking. Almost any activity can be an opportunity to talk, bond and have fun with your child.

Helpful tips:

• Chat to your child about what you are doing as you feed, change and bathe them
• Respond to your child when they point or make noises, interpret what they are saying e.g. “you want the ball”
• Sing nursery rhymes and songs together
• Read books together, have fun making up stories and pretending to be different characters e.g. firefighter/farmer

Kind words and gentle touch, help me explore and learn so much

Children need cuddles and other loving touch for healthy development. Using kind and positive words is also important for their development. The words we use with children become their inner voice. Adults need to know how to regulate their own emotions so they can relax, and this teaches babies and children how to relax too.

Helpful tips:

• Skin to skin contact relaxes both you and your child. They can never have too many cuddles!
• Sit your child on your lap or snuggle up close to each other when you are reading books together.
• Hold hands with your child  when you are walking to school or walking to the park
• If your child doesn’t want cuddles, find other ways to give them reassurance e.g. high fives, tickles, sitting next to them on the sofa
• Remember giving a child praise and complimenting them boosts their self esteem
• Be kind to yourself, parenting can be hard work

Add some words to what I say, I’ll learn to use sentences as we talk and play

Adding words to what your child says is a great way of supporting and developing their communication. You can help your child to use longer sentences by repeating what they say and adding a couple more words.

Helpful tips:

• Add words to what your child says e.g. if a child says “ball”, you can reply with “yes, a big ball!”
• Remember to use a variety of different words – you could try adding action words (cat climbing, cat sleeping), describing words (big cat, fluffy cat, grey cat) or social words (hello cat, bye cat)
• Help increase your child’s vocabulary by giving them choices e.g. “Do you want an apple or a banana?”
• Join in with your child while they play. Rather than ask questions, chat about what they are doing e.g. “wow that’s a fast race car!” or “dolly is going to bed” and wait for your child to respond.

Talk and sing wherever we go, that will help my brain to grow

veryday activities bring with them lots of opportunities to talk and sing, by doing this with your child you will help build their brain connections. Talking throughout experiences helps children make sense of these experiences.

Helpful tips:

• Involve your child in everyday routines (going shopping, washing up ) and talk about what your are doing together.
• Tell your baby or child what is going on and point out interesting things that you see together
• Use actions with your words e.g. waving & saying “bye bye”
• Take turns, remember to listen and respond to your baby or child

• Make up songs based on your child’s interests and likes – you can use a familiar tune but add your own words

Play your part right from the start, I need you to talk and play everyday

Play is not only fun, it is also the best way for children to learn about themselves, other people and the world around them. Play helps develop attention, language, emotions, imagination & social skills.

Helpful tips:

• Take time out every day to get involved with your child’s play – this might only be for a few minutes that’s ok
• Let your child take the lead, they will stay engaged for longer if you take an interest in what they want to do
• Comment lots during play so that your child hears words for actions and objects related to their play e.g. “wow you’re building a tall tower!”