Talking is one of the most important life skills your child will learn. Everyone’s journey is different but if you’re a parent in Oldham, there’s plenty of support and information available to help you and your child on their way to great communication.
What should my child be able to do?
At: 3-4 years
- Your child is learning every day and will ask you lots of questions as they interact with the world around them
- They will develop an understanding and begin to use words relating to colours and numbers.
- Your child’s sentences will be getting longer with more details and more to say. They will enjoy telling stories even though these may not be entirely complete/mature.
- Your child may be making some errors with grammar e.g. swimmed instead of swam, runned instead of ran.
- Your child will enjoy playing with others and understand turn-taking well.
- Your child’s speech sounds will continue to develop and there may still be some typical errors. It is normal for children to simplify more complex sounds into easier ones whilst they are learning
How can I help develop my child’s communication?
Key messages:
- Join in with your child’s play, talk to them about what you can see, ask them to show you what to do.
- Provide lots of opportunities to talk about your day and experience talk about simple sequences of routines throughout your day or story telling about things that have happened or will happen.
- Engage in conversation, ask simple questions and encourage them to describe what they can see, who is there, what is happening; tell them simple things that you can see or what is happening and what you are doing.
- As they are learning words and sounds, the words they use might not always be clear, listen carefully and repeat back what they have said but correctly. They don’t need to copy you they just need to hear it a few more times!
- BBC’s Tiny Happy People – have an abundance of videos, resources and ideas around supporting your child’s early development:
- Activities for 3-4 year old’s – BBC Tiny Happy People website
- 10 Tips for Talking – GMCA website
- Parent Portal – This website is run by Speech Link. There are videos and activities for parents, as well as information about what skills to expect for different ages.
- Check out the timetables in the Activities and Events section.
There are lots of activities for parents and young children which will support you in your child’s development but also lots of opportunities for fun. Look for Stay and Play’s.
When should I seek further help and how?
Remember no two children are alike and will develop at slightly different rates.
Some key things to look out for by age 4:
- Only using single words or some limited two-word phrases
- Sentences may appear jumbled and not make sense
- Vocabulary that does not appear to be words e.g. jargon
- Not able to follow simple things you ask them to do
- You and those familiar to your child struggle to understand what they are saying
If you are concerned with any of the above:
- Contact your Health Visitor
- If your child is in nursery or has a childminder, speak to them about your concerns and observations. If they are not attending a childminder or nursery you can get advice from the 0-19’s Team at your local family hub – Find a Family Hub
