Communication
Communication skills rely on a number of key skills developing well. It involves good listening, knowing how and when to interact with others, knowing words and sentences, being able to speak clearly and knowing the social skills to apply in conversation.
Support attention and listening skills by making sure there are some quiet times at home with the TV and gadgets turned off. Less background noise usually leads to increased concentration and conversation.
Make time for talking. All children need opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas as well as how they are feeling- build times into your routine for this to happen.
Key information this page includes:
Language development
Children develop skills at different rates, beyond 8 years old children will usually be able to use long and complex sentences, keep a conversation going by giving reasons and explaining choices, understand other points of view and show that they agree or disagree. You can still help your child to develop their communication and language skills by having good conversations with your child. Ask them about their day, talk about their interests and model good listening skills. Children are still growing their vocabulary, you can help by explaining the meaning of new words that your child comes across.
Speech development
At this age most children have clear, well developed speech. If your child is struggling to pronounce words and their speech is not understandable seek help. The 0-19 service can support you if you need advice or referral on. Check first that they can hear and that all their teeth are developed- changes in these can impact on speech clarity.
Social use of language: children need opportunity to talk in a range of situations with a range of people. Make sure they are given opportunities to meet and interact with people of all ages.
Emotional literacy
Emotional literacy is the ability to understand, express and cope with emotions. It's a skill that children will develop as they grow, but can also be nurtured throughout childhood. Encourage open conversation about feelings at home, ensure that talking about feelings is a normal part of everyday life and encourage your child to talk about their own feelings. You may need to support them to do this, through labelling their emotions and then asking if they want to talk about it. There are lot of ways to help your child develop in this area.
- Label emotions - for example you could say "you seem so excited".
- Use games to explore emotions - you could ask children to link facial expressions to emotions, this helps children to recognise and label emotions.
- Help them express themselves - talk to children about how to express their emotions in an appropriate way.
- Help them to manage emotions - teach your children ways they can cope with difficult emotions.
When to seek advice
If you have concerns about your child’s communication and language development you can visit a Family hub, speak to your child’s school, contact ‘ChatHealth’ text 07312 277161, or speak to your GP.
Progress checker 9 years old - Speech and language UK - 9 years.
Progress checker 11 years old - Speech and language UK - 11 years.