Talk, listen, and respond to your baby

Talking is one of the most important skills your child will learn. It seems to happen naturally, but in fact you have a very important role to play.
The more you talk with your baby and respond to their noises and babbles, the more you help them learn to communicate. This will help them develop good relationships, do well at school and be a confident, happy child.
- Share a book with your child and talk about the pictures
- Sing a nursery rhyme and encourage your baby to join in
- Listen carefully to how your child responds, and react back
Small Talk is a new website from the National Literacy Trust. It’s full of guidance, activities and videos for parents of young children to help them chat, play and read with their child at home as much as possible. It’s split up into age groups of 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months and 2-3 years. Take a look
Tips for how to help your young
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Talking to your child can fit easily into your day
Talking to your child can fit easily into your daily routine. Why not:
1 - Recite a nursery rhyme while feeding your baby
2 - Talk about the things you see while you are out and about
3 - Describe what you are buying while you are in the shop
4 - Sing songs while you are bathing your baby
5 - Share a book with your child before bedtime
Playing Copying Games With Your Baby
A Nursery Teacher explains the importance of playing copying games with your baby and shows how they help parents and their babies communicate together in this video from The Essential Parent Company.