Early Interventions

Speech, Language and Communication

Expression
How can I help develop a child’s expressive language skills

Developing Specific Skills

Current Skill:
Child uses open vowel sounds
Child uses babble
Child uses single words
Child uses 2 word sentences

Current Skill: Child uses open vowel sounds

Skill to Develop: Child to use babble
Activities:
 Use fun sounds in everyday activities, e.g. ‘mmm’ as you rub your tummy at
mealtimes; ‘brrmm’ as you play with cars together; ‘splish splash’ in water play, ‘pop,
pop, pop’ as you pop bubbles, ‘bang, bang, bang’ as you hit a drum.
 Play with animals together or look at animal pictures, demonstrate the sounds
animals make. Make it fun and don’t ask the child to repeat after you. Just say the
sounds and leave a pause, the child may use the sound when they are ready.
 Sit face to face. When the child makes a sound copy it and then wait. This will let
the child know the sounds he is making are important and you are listening. Try
making a fun sound, e.g. ‘ba ba ba!’ and waiting to see if he wants to copy it.

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Early Interventions
Speech, Language and Communication
Expression
How can I help develop a child’s expressive language skills

Developing Specific Skills

Current Skill: Child uses babble

Skill to Develop: Child to use single words
Activities:
 Sing action songs and rhymes which introduce early words, e.g. ‘Heads, Shoulders,
Knees and Toes’; ‘Wind the Bobbin’; ‘Wheels on the Bus’; ‘Row the Boat’, ‘Old
MacDonald’. As the child becomes very familiar with the song, leave the last word off
a line for them to say, e.g. ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and …’.
 Use a colourful feely bag of familiar objects, e.g. cup, ball, teddy, shoe, car.
Encourage the child to put his hand into the bag, feel and take out an object. As he
takes out each object, say and repeat the single word for the child, e.g. ‘ball … ball’.
When you are confident that the child is familiar with the objects and the words you
have introduced, encourage him to feel and take out an object and wait for him to say
the word. If he doesn’t then say the word for him.
 Use a simple inset puzzle with the child. Place the pieces into a bag. Pull out one
piece at a time to complete the puzzle. As you pick up each piece, say and repeat
the single word for the child, e.g. ‘car … car’. When you are confident that the child is
familiar with the activity and the words you have introduced, pull out the pieces and
wait for him to say the word. Remember to look as if you are expecting him to say
something and WAIT. If he does not say the word then model it for him.
 Play a ‘Simon Says’ game and include a small group of children. Use 2 or 3 action
words, e.g. ‘jump, sit, and sleep’. When the child is familiar with the actions
encourage him to give instructions to the group of children. Give him a picture to
represent the action as a prompt. You say ‘Simon Says …’, point to the picture and
wait for the child to give the action word to complete the instruction.
 In pretend play, talk about the actions that the toys are doing, e.g. ‘eating’, ‘sleeping’
and ‘jumping’. Use single words and repeat what you say. As the child becomes
more familiar with the words encourage him to say the word by completing your
sentence ‘Look! Teddy’s ……’. Remember to look at him and WAIT. Again, if he
does not say the word then model it for him.

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Early Interventions
Speech, Language and Communication
Expression
How can I help develop a child’s expressive language skills

Developing Specific Skills

Current Skill: Child uses single words

Skill to Develop: Child to use 2 word sentences
Activities:
 Use 2 character toys and several real objects. In play make the character toy pick up
an object and talk about who the object belongs to, e.g. ‘Dora’s ball’ or ‘Bob’s car’.
When the objects have been shared out, point to each object and repeat what it is
and who it belongs to, e.g. ‘Dora’s shoe’. Then point to each object and encourage
the child to say what it is and who it belongs to. If the child says only 1 word, e.g.
‘ball’, repeat the word back and expand by adding a word, e.g. ‘Dora’s ball’. WAIT so
that he has an opportunity to copy you.
 While sharing a book talk about what is happening in each picture using 2 word
sentences, e.g. ‘dog’s eating’. Then point to the pictures for the child to talk about
what is happening. If the child says only 1 word, e.g. ‘dog’, repeat and expand with,
e.g. ‘the dog’s eating’. WAIT so that he has an opportunity to copy you.
 Play a posting game using 2 post boxes, one with a picture of a cat on it and one with
a picture of a teddy on it. Use objects or pictures. Take an object / picture and tell the
child what you have and who you are giving it to, e.g. ‘I’m giving the ball to teddy’.
Encourage him to do the same. If the child says only 1 word, e.g. ‘ball’, repeat and
expand with, e.g. ‘ball to teddy’. WAIT so that he has an opportunity to copy you.
 Throughout the nursery day talk about what is happening using 2 key word
sentences, e.g. ‘Chloe’s jumping’. Encourage the child to describe what is
happening by pointing at someone and saying ‘Look! ……’. Remember to look as if
you are expecting him to say something and WAIT. If the child says only 1 word, e.g.
‘Chloe’, repeat and expand with, e.g. ‘Chloe’s jumping’. WAIT so that he has an
opportunity to copy you.

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Early Interventions
Speech, Language and Communication
Expression
How can I help develop a child’s expressive language skills

Developing Specific Skills

Current Skill: Child uses 2 word sentences

Skill to Develop: Child to use 3 word sentences
Activities:
 Use play with a doll’s house to provide 3 word level language models, e.g. ‘the
baby’s jumping on the bed’. Stress the 3 key words. Encourage the child to do the
same by bringing his attention to the activity and saying ‘Look! What’s happening?’.
If the child says only 2 words, e.g. ‘baby jumping’, repeat and expand with, e.g. ‘the
baby’s jumping on the bed’. WAIT so that he has an opportunity to copy you.
 Use 2 character dolls and some furniture to play a game. Make the doll do an action
on a piece of furniture and talk about it, e.g. ‘Fifi’s sleeping on the chair’.
Encourage the child to pick and doll and make it do an action on a piece of furniture
and talk about it. If the child says only 2 words, e.g. ‘Bob’s sitting’, repeat and
expand with, e.g. ‘Bob’s sitting on the table’. WAIT so that he has an opportunity to
copy you.
 Throughout the nursery day talk about what is happening using 3 key word
sentences, e.g. ‘Tom’s eating the apple’. Encourage the child to describe what is
happening by pointing at someone and saying ‘Look! ……’. Remember to look as if
you are expecting him to say something and WAIT. If the child says only 2 words,
e.g. ‘Tom’s eating’, repeat and expand with, e.g. ‘Tom’s eating the apple’. WAIT so
that he has an opportunity to copy you if he is ready.
 Use a teddy, doll, 2 bags and a selection of objects where you have a big and little
example of each item. Share the objects out between the teddy and doll putting the
objects into the bags. Then talk about who has what using 3 key word sentences,
e.g. ‘the teddy’s got a big hat’, stressing the key words. Encourage the child to take
out an object and talk about who has what. If the child says only 2 words, e.g. ‘teddy
hat’, repeat and expand with, e.g. ‘the teddy’s got a big hat’. WAIT so that he has an
opportunity to copy you.

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