Different ways that children communicate
Children can ‘say’ a lot without using words. They’re often really good at letting us know what they want by:
- Pointing
- Eye contact or eye pointing
- Gestures or signing
- Crying
- Facial expressions
- Noises, vocalisations or intonation
- Reaching
- Taking your hand and leading you
- Giving objects
Five ways to help your child with communication
Try these ideas to help your child communicate:
1. Offering choices
It’s really important to offer your child choices throughout the day:
- Instead of giving your child a biscuit at snack time, offer biscuit and an apple for your child to select from.
- When getting your child dressed, put two t-shirts out and a encourage your child to choose one.
Always remember to let them have what they choose. Don’t offer what you don’t want them to have.
2. Creating opportunities to communicate
When we know children well, it’s easy to fall into the trap of giving them what they want without them having to try to ‘ask’ for it. This takes away their need and reason to communicate.
For example, if favourite toys are always within reach, they don’t need to find a way of letting you know what they want. Why not try keeping the toy up high but in sight, your child may point or take your hand to show you they want it.
Take time to watch and notice how your child reacts to things they like and dislike and how they’re letting you know!
3. Imitation
Although it sounds strange, research shows that copying baby’s and young children’s sounds, noises and actions, encourages them to do them again. Doing this is not only fun, but also teaches turn taking and communication skills:
- If your child is lying on the changing mat making ‘ma’ ‘ma’ sounds, smile and copy the same sounds back again.
- During the day, if your child is pretending to stir, join in by copying the stirring action.
4. Modelling
It is vital to talk to your child and name objects that they show you that they want. If when playing, your child looks at or points to his ball, show interest and say ‘ball’, say it several times. Lots of repetition helps them to learn the words.
5. Praise
We all need praise to help us enjoy learning. So make sure your child knows you are pleased with them when they try to let you know what they want. A smile, a touch, a ‘well done’ helps children feel good about themselves which will encourage them to try again.
If you are looking at a book together and your child looks at you and points to a picture of a dog, say ‘dog, good girl or boy’.