Display pictures and photographs showing engaging, familiar or fantastical events, objects and activities and talk about them with the children.
Provide activities which help children to learn to distinguish differences in sounds, word patterns and rhythms.
Plan to encourage correct use of language by telling repetitive stories, and playing games which involve repetition of words or phrases.
Provide opportunities for children to communicate in their home language.
Help children to build their vocabulary, motivations and opportunities to experiment with talk by extending the range of their experiences. Understand that often when an experience is unfamiliar, children might fall silent at first but choose to talk about it later.
Foster children’s enjoyment of spoken and written language by providing interesting and stimulating play opportunities in which there is little pressure to talk but words, songs and rhymes are welcome.
Continue to encourage movement activity to stimulate sound and verbal utterances as well as the opportunity to explore expressive sounds and words to match movement, particularly outdoors.
Stimulating the vestibular system through age-appropriate swinging, spinning, sliding, swaying etc. may help reluctant speakers to use voice.
Plan regular opportunities for children to speak, e.g. take turns having a toy animal at home, and then telling about the visit.
Set up collaborative tasks, e.g. construction, food activities or story-making through role-play.
Provide small world toys or puppets for children to act out familiar stories in their play.
