Communicate in a variety of ways including crying, gurgling, babbling and squealing.
Make sounds with their voices in social interaction.
Cries to express needs, for example, when hungry, angry or in pain.
Gurgles to get attention.
Turns quickly to hear your voice across the room.
Listens to familiar voices even if they can't see the person.
Vocalises back when talked to (making own sounds) especially to familiar people and when a smiling face is used.
Responds differently to different tones of voice (for example, sing-song, questioning, soothing and playful) as the tone of voice helps them to understand the meaning.
Uses voice, gesture, eye contact and facial expression to make contact with people and keep their attention.
Vocalises more when adults use child-directed speech.
Responses to your communication, for example movement, attentiveness to the speaker, and sounds from the home language and English for a child learning more than one language.
The different ways babies communicate - such as gurgling when happy.
How young babies tell you that they are tired, hungry, angry or in pain.
The things you do that seem to encourage young babies to vocalise more.
Where young babies direct their visual attention. Do they look at you when you talk to them? Are they beginning to look where you are looking to understand what you say?
How young babies begin to use gesture, eye contact and facial expression purposefully to make contact and hold your attention.
The range of speech sounds made by young babies as they begin to babble.
Being physically close, making eye contact, using touch or voice all provide ideal opportunities for early 'conversations' between adults and babies, and between one baby and another.
Find out from parents how they like to communicate with their baby, noting especially the chosen language.
Learn and use key words in the home languages of babies in the setting.
Share stories, songs and rhymes from all cultures and in babies' home languages.
Maintain face-to-face contact, looking at babies as you talk about what they are doing. You might say "Was that a yawn? You're tired!".
Share quiet moments together - this allows babies to enjoy the intimacy of looking at each other and to learn about other people and themselves.
Respond by lifting and soothing babies when they cry - this helps them to learn that they are communicating their needs to you.
Comment when babies move or make a sound, for example, when they burp, you might say "Do you feel better now?".
Use touch - stroking, tickling and cuddles are all important parts of early communication. They help babies to enjoy being with you and listening to you.
Listen out for different cries indicating hunger, wetness and tiredness. Respond to what you understand babies to be communicating in this way.
Make it clear when you are talking to a child by using their name or by touching their arm.
Copy the sounds, mouth movements and facial expressions babies make while they are looking at you. Sometimes babies will begin to copy you too.
Think about how some routines such as nappy changing and feeding start to have game elements with repeated patterns (maybe tickles) and comments such as "You! Are you laughing at me? Are you?".
Remember to leave pauses or gaps in your 'conversation' with babies so that they can do something to begin taking a turn.
Think about how you talk and use child directed speech, with short, simple sentences and repetitive words or phrases. Vary your intonation patterns and use animated facial expressions to attract and maintain the attention of babies and children.
Enjoy anticipation rhymes and games together, for example, hiding your face and building expectation such as "Boo!" or "Here I come".
Display photographs showing the signs that tell us how young babies communicate.
Provide tapes and tape recorders so that parents can record familiar, comforting sounds, such as lullabies in home languages. Use these to help babies settle if they are tired or distressed.
Share favourite stories as babies are settling to sleep, or at other quiet times.
8-20 Months
Take pleasure in making and listening to a wide variety of sounds.
Create personal words as they begin to develop language.
Looks at the person speaking.
Watches and follows adult movements.
Follows with gaze when an adult directs attention to near objects by looking and pointing, for example, when an adult points to a dog and says "Look at the dog" and the child looks at the dog.
Waits for speaker to finish before taking their turn.
Follows with eyes when others point to distant objects.
Attends to an object when you draw their attention to it, by looking and pointing (joint attention).
Looks at an object and then back to you, or points, to direct your attention to it.
Concentrates intently on an object or activity of own choosing for short periods.
Watches and listens to others, copying some behaviour in own play.
Attends to pictures for a short time, labelling and making a comment, either with adult guidance or independently.
Recognises and responds to own name, for example, by turning or looking up in response to their name being called.
Recognises some family names such as Mummy, Daddy or names of siblings.
Stops what they are doing in response to "No".
Shows understanding of familiar objects by actions, for example, pretends to drink from an empty cup or uses a brush on their hair.
Responds to simple familiar language in context, for example, runs to the door when an adult holds their keys and says "It's time to go". At this stage, the child is mainly responding to the tone of voice and situational cues in a particular well–known routine.
Understands names of some common objects, for example, picks up or points to a toy when it is named.
Responds to keywords in play so that when you ask "Where's the ball?" they look to find the ball.
Points to named items in picture books.
Shows understanding of at least 15 words, for example, looks at a named person and points to or finds an object when asked to (such as, "Where are your shoes?").
Uses voice or gesture to: – attract attention (for example, holding up objects, waving arms); – ask for things (for example, reaching, opening and shutting hands); – refuse (for example, pushing objects away, shaking head).
Uses voice, gestures or actions to join in with a familiar rhyme or game.
Uses gesture or voice to direct attention to objects and people, as well as self.
Makes it clear through gesture or voice when they want something to happen again, for example, to play a game again or more to eat.
Copies gestures as part of games and familiar routines, such as clapping hands, waving 'bye', blowing kisses, open hands for 'where is it' or 'all gone'.
Begins to point to objects, self and others close by, using index finger.
Initiates give and take games by offering objects.
Looks towards place where you are looking.
Communicates for a range of different purposes including to greet, to request, to protest, to label objects and people.
Waves 'bye-bye' through imitation, copying when other people wave and later waving 'bye–bye' when asked.
Simple conversations take place between adult and child, mainly focusing on the here and now.
Points to objects in the environment to direct adult attention and share interest and may vocalise while pointing.
Points towards objects that are out of reach to request them.
Asks for favourite games using words or gestures, for example, playing peek-a-boo, saying "Boo" or hiding face in hands.
Plays vocal games with you, copying noises you make.
Uses approximately five words without prompting.
Speaks to name favourite items such as "bubbles", "ball" or "cat".
Speaks to make requests such as "drink" or "more".
Waves 'bye-bye' spontaneously.
The sounds babies enjoy making and listening to.
The signs or words babies use, noting any words in home languages, to communicate what they want, like or dislike.
Babies' developing vocabulary in their mother tongue, as well as English, noting which words are in English and which are in the home language. Note in which circumstances the different languages are used.
Where babies look when you speak to them about objects and people nearby and when you point at the things and people you are talking about.
Examples of babies learning to play their part in a conversation. Do they stop vocalising when you are talking and wait for their 'turn'?
How babies watch and listen to other people who are talking.
How babies react when their name is called.
The different ways babies let you know that they understand what you say to them.
The ways in which babies respond when you look at a picture book together and you talk about the items on the page.
How babies use voice, gesture and words to attract attention, ask for things and refuse things.
Occasions when babies begin to point.
How babies participate in simple routines such as waving 'bye bye'.
Try to 'tune in' to the different messages young babies are attempting to convey.
Find out from parents greetings used in English and in languages other than English; encourage staff, parents and children to become familiar with them.
Recognise and value the importance of all languages spoken and written by parents, staff and children.
Watch children and think about how they tell you what they want, for example by cuddling in when they want more cuddles, wriggling their fingers when they want to be picked up and crying to show they are uncomfortable or wet.
Respond to children's attempts to communicate so they know they have succeeded.
Put into words what you think children are trying to tell you.
Play games such as peek-a-boo and recite rhymes such as 'Pat-a-cake' and 'Round and Round the Garden', using associated actions and gestures.
Play give-and-take games where toys and objects are exchanged.
Share books to promote shared attention - books help you to know you are focused on the same things as you talk about them.
Tell children the names of the things and people they see in books and all around them.
Recast what children are trying to communicate by taking their incomplete utterances and giving them back the language they need. When a child pushes something away you might say "You don't like that, do you?".
Copy the first attempts at words that children make so that they can see and hear the full version. When a child says "mo" you might say "More? You want more?".
Talking at the table - In a childminder's home, the childminder supports a small group of children, including a baby's non-verbal communication, at a shared snack time. [transcript]
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Communicate with parents to exchange and update information about babies' personal words.
Display lists of words from different home languages, and invite parents and other adults to contribute. Include languages such as Romany and Creole, since seeing their languages reflected in the setting will encourage all parents to feel involved and valued.
16-26 Months
Use single-word and two-word utterances to convey simple and more complex messages.
Understand simple sentences.
Looks at adult to gain attention before pointing.
Understands and follows simple instructions in context such as "Give me the ball" or "Kiss Daddy night-night".
Plays 'ready, steady, go' or 'one, two, three, go' games, listening and waiting or sometimes imitating alongside speaker.
Shows anticipation in relation to key phrases in games, for example, "I'm coming" in hide and seek or chasing games.
Attends to speech directed to them and listens with interest to general talk.
Learns to wait for others to finish what they are saying, resulting in better turn-taking with fewer vocal clashes.
Builds vocabulary for familiar objects and events.
Begins to combine words into simple sentences, usually two words at first.
Understands word-object association.
Understands approximately 50 words and then goes on to understand one or two new words each week.
Recognises and will identify many objects and pictures when named.
Picks out two or more objects from a group of four, for example "Give me the cup and the doll" and "Where's the... ?".
Understands familiar words in new contexts each week, for example, learns that 'bath' means the bath in other people's houses as well their own bath at home.
Selects familiar objects by name and will go and find objects when asked or identify objects from a group.
Follows simple instructions, particularly if accompanied by gestures such as pointing to places, things or people.
Follows directions if they are part of a game or relate to what they are doing, for example, responds to "Sit down", "Feed teddy" or "Come and sit down" when a snack or drink is put on the table.
Names pictures of common objects when they are pointed to.
Identifies simple body parts on self (for example, hair, eyes, ears and nose) and later points to body parts on others (for example, Mum's nose or Grandad's eyes).
Uses at least ten words consistently although may still be best understood by familiar adults.
Uses verbs and adjectives, for example, 'go', 'sleep', 'hot', 'big'.
Uses words to comment on what is happening, for example, says "Bird" if they see one in the garden.
Has favourite 'phrases' that are often used such as "That one".
Sings along with favourite action rhyme (although words may not be clear).
Comments on something that has just happened, for example, "Doggy" if they see a dog on the way home or "Fall down" if the blocks have just crashed over.
Begins to use words to refer to people and things that are not present.
Later, uses up to 20 words to: – name things and people; – comment on what is happening;
– tell someone something; – respond to an adult's questions or comments; – protest; – express likes and dislikes; – describe actions.
Copies familiar expressions such as "Oh dear" or "All fall down".
Waits for 'go' signal in 'ready, steady, go' games.
Joins in simple narrative by answering questions about things that are very familiar, for example, to the question "What goes on your feet?" the child answers "Shoes", or by filling in the gaps so that when asked "Let's put your ... on" the child fills in "shoes".
Uses a mixture of words or vocalisation combined with or instead of gesture when playing.
Talks to self continuously when playing, although this may not be readily understood by adults.
The meanings young children generate in their language through the creative ways in which they use words.
Young children's use of their first language, with peers and adults, and how children with several languages may use their home language in some circumstances, perhaps when they are very enthusiastic or excited about something, and English in others.
How children show that they understand instructions.
The different purposes for which children use language, for example, to name things and people, to comment on what is happening or to protest.
How children show they understand the 'to and fro' nature of conversation, for example, by looking at you to get your attention before pointing at something.
How children participate in repetitive games and rhymes, for example, do they show understanding and anticipation by waiting for "Go!" in Ready, steady, go! games?
The different ways that children respond to general talk around them and to talk that is directed at them.
The rate at which children's vocabulary grows.
How children begin to sing along with favourite action rhymes.
Which phrases children copy when you say them.
Recognise young children's competence and appreciate their efforts when they show their understanding of new words and phrases.
Sensitively demonstrate pronunciation and ordering of words in response to what children say, rather than correcting them.
Accept and praise words and phrases in home languages, saying English alternatives and encouraging their use.
Plan to talk through and comment on some activities to highlight specific vocabulary or language structures, for example, "You've caught the ball. I've caught the ball. Nasima's caught the ball". This approach is helpful in encouraging all children's developing language skills.
Watch and respond to children's attempts to communicate with you, using voice, facial expressions and gestures.
Talk about what children are doing, have done and will do.
Respond to children's gestures as well as to their vocal communication.
Share photograph albums and remind children about the people and events in them.
Talk about what other people are doing and about people who are not there, for example, "Raj is at school".
Put into words what you think children are trying to tell you.
Repeat children's words and attempts at sentences, adding new information so that they have a chance to see how a longer sentence can be made. For example "Baba upstairs" could become "Yes, Barbara's gone upstairs to get some cream for your sore knee".
Recast (repeat) children's words within longer phrases, adding new information.
Join in games that a child initiates.
Spend time together talking about books and reading short stories, using pictures to help understanding. Ask the children to point to parts of pictures or to tell you what's happening.
Tea time- In the nursery, a group of children share snack time, and the practitioner talks to the baby about her drink [transcript]
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Allow time to follow young children's lead and have fun together while talking about actions such as going up, down or jumping.
Encourage parents whose children are learning English as an additional language to continue to encourage use of the first language at home.
Provide books with repetitive stories and phrases to read aloud to children to support specific vocabulary or language structures.
22-36 Months
Learn new words very rapidly and are able to use them in communicating about matters which interest them.
Points to and names simple pictures.
Uses 'me' to refer to self.
Asks simple questions using speech with a quizzical face.
Talks aloud when playing with others.
Says "Please" and "Thank you" with prompts.
Uses words to alert adults to needs, for example, when hungry, thirsty or tired.
Understands 'who', 'what', 'where' in simple questions.
Understands more complex sentences such as "Put your toys away and we'll read a book".
Responds appropriately to simple two-part instructions or requests such as "Get your shoes and put on your coat" or "Pick up the ball and give it to me".
Identifies action words by pointing to the right picture, for example, "Who's jumping?".
Shows understanding of prepositions 'in', and 'on', for example, by carrying out action "Put dolly in the box" or selecting correct picture.
Will point to smaller parts of the body (such as chin, elbow or eyebrow) when asked to do so.
Rapid growth in spoken vocabulary from at least 50 words rising steadily to over 200 words.
Begins to make little 'sentences' by joining two words together such as "Daddy gone" and then making short phrases such as "Me got one".
Later, makes longer sentences of three to four words such as "Mummy go shops now".
Uses words to ask and find out about things.
Uses words during play and almost all activities.
Uses words to ask for help, for example, when washing hands or going to the toilet.
Answers simple questions, for example "Where's Mum?".
Uses several pronouns correctly, such as 'I', 'me' and 'you'.
Indicates 'no' through gestures or speech.
Uses between ten and 15 action words such as 'eat', 'drink', 'sleep', 'wash', 'play' and 'finish'.
Uses words to describe things such as "It's wet" or "It's too hot".
Uses appropriate intonation to ask questions.
Talks aloud to self when playing alone.
How children begin to use words to question and negotiate.
Features of adult/child interaction, remembering these are culturally determined, and that conventions for interaction vary, both within and across speech communities.
How children show they understand more complex sentences and instruction.
The different ways in which children begin to combine words into short phrases and sentences.
Ways in which children use language to ask for help.
How children vary their intonation and stress patterns to ask questions or express surprise.
Talk about things which interest young children and listen and respond to their ideas and questions. For children learning English as an additional language, value non-verbal communications and those offered in home languages. Respond by adding to words, gesture, objects and other visual cues to support two-way understanding.
Talk about what you're going to do, where you're going and what you have just done.
Talk through TV programmes, videos or DVDs you've watched together. Children will not always understand what they have seen.
Carry on recasting (repeating) what children say. This makes it clear you are listening and value what they say but also allows them to hear and see a more 'grown up' version.
Help children begin to negotiate with one another using language. For example, if they want to join in a game or if another child has a toy they want to play with, talk about what they could say and model it for them.
Display pictures and photographs showing familiar 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.
30-50 Months
Use simple statements and questions often linked to gestures.
Use intonation, rhythm and phrasing to make their meaning clear to others.
Join in with repeated refrains and anticipate key events and phrases in rhymes and stories.
Listen to stories with increasing attention and recall.
Describe main story settings, events and principal characters.
Listen to others in one-to-one or small groups when conversation interests them.
Respond to simple instructions.
Question why things happen and give explanations.
Use vocabulary focused on objects and people that are of particular importance to them.
Begin to experiment with language describing possession.
Build up vocabulary that reflects the breadth of their experiences.
Begin to use more complex sentences.
Use a widening range of words to express or elaborate on ideas.
Understands use of objects, for example "What do we use to cut things with?".
Can identify picture or object with three critical elements, for example, 'big girl jumping'.
Shows understanding of prepositions such as 'under', 'on top', 'behind' and 'next to' by carrying out action or selecting correct picture.
Identifies objects by description, for example, 'the wet one' or 'the dirty one'.
Understands all pronouns: 'they', 'he', 'she', 'him', 'her'.
Uses words to: - give reasons; - say what they want; - play with others; - direct others; - tell others about things.
Can retell a simple past event in correct order, for example, went down slide, hurt finger and later can retell a simple story recalling events and characters.
Provides appropriate information in response to 'what' and 'where' questions.
Can give information about own life and favourite things.
Answers 'yes/no' questions appropriately.
Uses a range of tenses, for example, 'play', 'playing', 'will play' and 'played'.
Asks increasingly detailed questions to find out information.
Answers questions more fully, providing more than one piece of information.
Uses plurals, for example, 'cats'.
Uses possessives, for example, 'the boy's teddy'.
Knows when to wait while others are talking and can control the urge to butt in.
Realises the correct volume to talk at, not too loud or quiet.
Likes saying learned expressions such as name and age or address.
Sings on own.
The gestures and body language children use.
Children's responses to stories and information books you read with them.
How children act out rhymes and stories.
Instances of children recalling and recounting their own experiences and sharing them with others.
How children take account of what others say during one-to-one conversations.
Children's understanding of instructions and the questions they ask.
The range and variety of words that children use.
How children are beginning to develop and expand on what they say, for example, "Come in, it's time for dinner. You'll get hungry if you stay out there".
Children's developing use of a preferred language and whether this has changed since, for example, attending the current setting.
The different ways children answer "Yes", "No", "What?" and "Where?" questions. Do they provide appropriate information in response to different types of language?
How children begin to add grammatical markers to the ends of words to indicate verb tense, possession or plurality, for example, "Play", "Playing", "Played".
Examples of how children participate in group discussions. Can they wait for their turn while other people are talking?
Talk with children to make links between their gestures and words, for example, "Your face does look cross. Has something upset you?".
Support children in using a variety of communication strategies, including signing, where appropriate.
Listen to children and take account of what they say in your responses to them.
Choose stories with repeated refrains, dances and action songs involving looking and pointing, and songs that require replies and turn-taking such as 'Tommy Thumb'.
Share rhymes, books and stories from many cultures, sometimes using languages other than English, particularly where children are learning English as an additional language.
Give children clear directions and help them to deal with those involving more than one action, for example, "Put the cars away, please, then come and wash your hands and get ready for lunch".
When introducing a new activity, use mime and gesture to support language development. Showing children a photograph of an activity such as handwashing helps to reinforce understanding.
Provide practical experiences that encourage children to ask and respond to questions, for example, explaining pulleys or wet and dry sand.
Introduce new words in the context of play and activities.
Show interest in the words children use to communicate and describe their experiences.
Help children expand on what they say, introducing and reinforcing the use of more complex sentences.
Respond to children's requests and communication using language that gives descriptions and explanations.
Continue to share stories together and talk about the characters and events, including how characters might be feeling.
Collect photographs, leaflets, tickets and drawings of things your child has enjoyed or been involved with. Display them in scrapbooks or photograph albums that you can look through together, talking about what you did.
In the jungle - In a nursery class, the practitioner and a group of children explore ideas about the jungle through words and actions. [transcript]
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Encourage children to express their needs and feelings in words.
Provide opportunities for children whose home language is other than English, to use that language.
Find out from parents how children make themselves understood at home; confirm which is their preferred language.
Set up a listening area where children can enjoy rhymes and stories.
Introduce 'rhyme time' bags containing books to take home and involve parents in rhymes and singing games. Ask parents to record regional variations of songs and rhymes in other languages.
Introduce, alongside books, story props, such as pictures, puppets and objects, to encourage children to retell stories and to think about how the characters feel.
Help children to build their vocabulary by extending the range of their experiences.
Ensure that all practitioners use correct grammar.
The story tent - In a busy reception class, a child and a practitioner take a quiet moment to explore a book.[transcript]
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40-60+ Months
Have confidence to speak to others about their own wants and interests.
Use talk to gain attention and sometimes use action rather than talk to demonstrate or explain to others.
Initiate conversation, attend to and take account of what others say.
Extend vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming.
Use vocabulary and forms of speech that are increasingly influenced by their experience of books.
Link statements and stick to a main theme or intention.
Consistently develop a simple story, explanation or line of questioning.
Use language for an increasing range of purposes.
Use simple grammatical structures.
Interact with others, negotiating plans and activities and taking turns in conversation.
Enjoy listening to and using spoken and written language, and readily turn to it in their play and learning.
Sustain attentive listening, responding to what they have heard with relevant comments, questions or actions.
Listen with enjoyment, and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems.
Extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words.
Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener.
Children's readiness to engage in conversation.
Children's awareness of conventions, such as taking turns to talk.
How children link statements to develop stories and explanations.
The purposes for which children use talk, for example, to gain attention or to resolve disagreements.
How children concentrate on what others say and their responses to what they have heard.
Rhymes and songs children know by heart.
Children's made-up songs.
Children's growing vocabulary.
The occasions when children speak clearly and confidently and show awareness of the listener.
Encourage conversation with others and demonstrate appropriate conventions: turn-taking, waiting until someone else has finished, listening to others and using expressions such as "please", "thank you" and "can I...?". At the same time, respond sensitively to social conventions used at home.
Show children how to use language for negotiating, by saying "May I...?", "Would it be all right...?", "I think that..." and "Will you...?" in your interactions with them.
Model language appropriate for different audiences, for example, a visitor.
Encourage children to predict possible endings to stories and events.
Encourage children to experiment with words and sounds, for example, in nonsense rhymes.
Encourage children to sort, group and sequence events in their play, using words such as: first, last, next, before, after, all, most, some, each, every.
Encourage language play, for example, through stories such as 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' and action songs that require intonation.
Value children's contributions and use them to inform and shape the direction of discussions.
Give time for children to initiate discussions from shared experiences and have conversations with each other.
Give thinking time for children to decide what they want to say and how they will say it.
Set up collaborative tasks, for example, construction, food activities or story-making through role-play. Help children to talk about and plan how they will begin, what parts each will play and what materials they will need.
Provide opportunities for talking for a wide range of purposes, for example, to present ideas to others as descriptions, explanations, instructions or justifications, and to discuss and plan individual or shared activities.
Foster children's enjoyment of spoken and written language by providing interesting and stimulating play opportunities.
Provide word banks and writing resources for both indoor and outdoor play.
Resource role-play areas with listening and writing equipment and provide easy access to word banks.
Provide opportunities for children to participate in meaningful speaking and listening activities. For example, taking models that they have made to show children in another class and explaining how they were made.
Writing a letter - In a nursery class, children explore writing materials, commenting on the marks they have made. [transcript]
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