Come Talk with Me

Come Talk with Me is a project which supports children with their speech, language and communication development.

The early years are the most important time for children’s development, especially for their speech, language and communication. Being able to speak clearly and to understand and interact with others is vital as these skills support all other areas of learning. Research has shown that children supported at home make better progress.

The Come Talk with Me project helps to support parents and practitioners to improve children's speech, language and communication with tips and ideas to help babies and young children with their development. It was created by Bournemouth Early Years Service and runs in partnership with childcare settings, libraries, children's centres and doctors surgeries and clinics across the Borough.

Our Come Talk with Me champion is Alison. For further information or if you have any concerns please speak to Alison, your child's key-worker, or contact your local Children's Centre who run activities specifically to support Come Talk with Me.

Below is the tip of the month for April 2022:

The importance of the home learning environment

A child’s language development begins long before they start school and is shaped by the people and places in their lives – their home learning environment. Please watch the video below from the National Literacy Trust.

I CAN recommended resources for home learning
ICAN have put together a range of resources for home-learning and helping children's understanding of the Coronavirus. I CAN have shared some really useful advice and resources for parents about how they can talk to their children about coronavirus. Their speech and language therapists have also put together some fun activities that parents can try with their children at home to build essential speech, language and communication skills.

Tiny Happy People
Tiny Happy People is a fabulous free to use online resource for parents, practitioners and community groups. All the content is evidence based and quality assured by Speech and Language Therapists, Midwives and Health Visitors. It’s a language and literacy initiative with an aim to halve the language gap among children aged under five across the UK. At the heart of the plan is encouraging parents to talk to their children from a very early age. It’s an opportunity to make a really positive difference, supporting children at an early stage in their lives, which will help them fulfil their potential.

Small Talk
The National Literacy Trust is working with the Department for Education (DfE) on a multi-faceted initiative, which will support parents to provide language-rich home learning environments for 0 to 5-year-olds. Part of this is the development of a new website called Small Talk, filled with guidance, activities and videos for parents to help them turn the activities they are already doing with their child into new opportunities to build their child’s language skills.

Hungry Little Minds
This Department for Education Campaign encourages parents and carers to adopt positive activities and behaviours to boost children's communication, language and literacy development.

Words for Life
Here, you will find the words and actions to some popular songs and nursery rhymes. Singing songs and rhymes is really good for babies, as the rhythms and repetitive language make it easier for babies to learn language skills. Singing and reciting with children is also a great way of bonding with them.

The Communication Trust
They have developed resources to encourage listening, understanding, interaction and play, for children aged 0 to 5 and 5 to 11 called Listen Up. The packs explain about the importance of these skills and are full of activity ideas, which can help children to learn, make friends and have fun.

NHS Speech Language Therapy Resources
This NHS website (not local) provides a wide range of information, activities, tips and strategies in promoting children’s speech, language and communication.

BCP Libraries
Take a look at what they are doing at the BCP libraries facebook page. Activities for all ages including wriggle and rhyme, storytime, crafts and much more.

Family Zone
Family Zone is full of free activities and ideas to keep children busy at home, whilst also benefiting their reading, writing and language development. Just click on the relevant age group to get the latest resources.

Virtual children's centres
The BCP children's centres have launched their virtual offer for parents and carers with children under the age of five. Every week day parents will discover a range of fun videos and activities to enjoy and help with children's learning and development.

Communication Station

A range of You Tube clips from the NHS which offer quick and easy activities and tips to promote children’s speech, language and communication that are perfect to share with parents, carers and practitioners.