Early Language and Communication
Babies and young children learn best through play and during daily activities. There are many ways you can encourage language and communication development in your child every day.
Communication
Communication with your child may involve:
- words
- body language
- gestures
- sounds
- facial expression
- and eye contact.
Language
Language is a part of communication and includes both understanding and using words and sentences.
Joint attention
When communicating with your child, joint attention is important. Joint attention involves two people having a shared focus on the something that encourages an activity or a reaction. This may be an object, sound, event or person. Joint attention happens when the adult directs the child’s attention to the object by using verbal cues i.e. sounds and words and/or using non-verbal cues such as eye-gazing, pointing, showing. Joint attention skills support speech, language and communication development.
Play
Play is important in encouraging the skills necessary for communication and language development. See our page here on the importance of play for your child's learning, self-expression, and communication. Observe your child’s focus of attention, follow their lead in play, get face-to-face with them in play, and make comments on what they are showing interest in.
Videos
The ‘Learning to Talk’ series is a playlist of 20 short videos for helping all adults to support children’s early communication development. The ‘Learning to Talk’ series is designed by HSE Speech and Language Therapists in Partnership with ABC Startright, Limerick.
The first video is below - you can access the full playlist via the video link below or by clicking here.
Further information
Below are some suggested resources for you to understand more about early language and communication:
- Parent Tips from the Hanen Centre
- Speech and Language Therapy Toolkit | CPFT NHS Trust
- Late Talkers: How to help your child- Children's Speech and Language Therapy | CPFT NHS Trust