Expressive language

Children need to choose the right words and put them together in the right order to get their message across to other people

• Model lots of language for children to hear. Talk about things that your child is  actually seeing, hearing and experiencing

• Leave pauses for children to join in the conversation even if it is only with a gesture or a noise

• Repeat any words your child says and add a word or two of your own so they can hear how to make it more complex

• Model their sentences back to them with the correct grammar so they have something to copy

• Help them to remember new words by talking about events afterwards. This will give them a chance to hear vocabulary again

• Introduce choice into activities whenever possible e.g. "Do you want the blue one or the red one?" to give them opportunities to use language in a meaningful way