Sally's Blog

Hi

Yet again it is in the news that many children do not have the expected level of communication skills by the time they are beginning school.

Play is the way that children learn....so at home and in nursery, they need to have good quality toys that they enjoy playing with that will encourage them to communicate with others. They do not need a playroom with plenty of toys that beep and flash at them. They need to learn to communicate in the real world, about real events, ideas and relationships. For example, Building bricks are perfect for learning to listen, to negotiate with others and learning how to put their own thoughts into words. If you watch a child who is involved in his play, wether it is solitary or with other children, he or she will likely be providing themselves with a 'running commentary', putting their thoughts into words as they play out their ideas. If they are playing with others they will also be learning to spend time listening to the ideas of others, which, of course, is another important communication skill - especially useful when starting school!

A simple set of bricks together with a childs imagination, wether playing alone or with others children can aid the development of communication skills. Easy!

Sally.