Toddler Talk

About the service

Speech and language therapists work in partnership with children, their families and other professionals in a variety of friendly setting including;

Family Hubs: Every Starting Well Partnership Family Hub has a named speech and language therapist.
Child development centres: Speech and language therapists are part of the team
Schools: Every mainstream school has a named speech and language therapist who visits.

Are you worried about your toddler's talking?

Are you worried your toddler isn't talking very much yet?

Different children learn to talk at different rates, however some children find learning to talk more challenging. Adults can help them by using some of the following strategies.

6 strategies for toddler talk
	Children learn language best against a background of silence. Although this may not always be possible try to limit noise when playing and talking with your child. Too many toys at any one time can be distracting. Choose a few different toys for the day and encourage your child to play with these. You can change the toys the following day
	Let your child choose the toy or activity and lead the play. Your job is to follow their lead. You will find that they probably stay with it longer and your language will be more meaningful to them. Watch carefully to see what your child is actually doing and copy their action or sound.
	Try not to ask unnecessary questions. Only ask questions you really don’t know the answer to rather than questions that ‘test’ such as ‘what’s this?’ This can make your child feel under pressure to answer. Remember to wait and look at what your child is doing with the toys. Then comment using very simple language to match what your child is looking at or playing with eg. ‘bricks…more... bricks…building a tower…up up…oh crash!
	Even if you know your child understands it is important that they hear a simple model of language. Listen to what they are using and use this as your guide. If your child is only using a few single words only use single words and two word phrases when playing yourself.
	Allow your child time. If you speak to them allow them time to respond before you speak again. Try silently counting to 10 before you speak.
	Show them how to put words together. When your child attempts a word, repeat it but add another word to show them how words link together eg.’car’ becomes ‘car driving’ or ‘mummy’s car’. If they use two words together repeat and add another one to make a 3 word phrase.

Remember...... Don’t feel pressurised, communication should be FUN!

Download our guide to helping your child with talking here and 54 ideas to Get Worcestershire Talking here

Should I be worried?

Check how your child is doing using the tools below:

Download our typical development 0 - 18 months poster here and 18 months - 3 years here

Typical speech sound development:

You can access ICAN's online progress checker here

The BBC's Tiny Happy People website has lots of useful ideas for parents. You can access it here

Watch these strategies in action in the videos below:

Speech & Language Drop ins

Drop in timetable
VENUE:	DAY AND TIME:
FRANCHE PRIMARY, Chestnut Grove, Kidderminster, DY115QB	1st Tuesday of the month 3-4pm
WYRE FOREST CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE Radford Ave, Kidderminster, DY10 2ES	2nd Wednesday of the month 11:30 — 12:30pm 4th Monday of the month 11:30 — 12:30pm (NB No Monday Drop-ins in July & Aug)
BUTTERCUP FAMILY HUB, Carnforth drive, Worcester, WR4 9HG	4th Tuesday of the month 11:30 — 12:30pm Please NOTE — no drop in on 24th December
SAFFRON FAMILY HUB, School House, Stanley Rd, Worcester, WR51BD	2nd Wednesday of the month 11:30 — 12:30pm
TUDOR WAY FAMILY HUB, 1 Tudor way centre, Worcester, WR2 5QH	1st Tuesday of the month 11:30 — 12:30pm
HALF CROWN WOOD — ST BARTHOLOMEW'S PRIMARY 53-67 Princess Way, Stourport on Severn, DY13 0EL	2nd Monday of the month 1 — 2pm
SUNSHINE FAMILY HUB, Bluebell Close, Malvern, WR14 3SW	3rd Wednesday of the month 11:30 — 12:30pm NB In November the drop in will be on 27th November 13:30 — 14:30
CATSHILL CLINIC, The Dock, Catshill, B61 0NJ	3rd Tuesday of the month 11:30 — 12:00pm NB NO DROP IN ON 17th December 2024
SCOTT ATKINSON CENTRE, Woodrow Drive, Redditch, B98 7UH	1st Wednesday of the month 1:00 — 1:30pm
EVESHAM COMMUNITY SERVICES, Abbey Lane, Evesham, WR11 4BS	2nd Thursday 1:00 — 1:30pm
WANDS CHILDREN'S CENTRE Westlands 1st School, Farmer's Way, DROITWICH, WR9 9EQ	4th Friday of the month 11:45 — 12:15pm NB NO DROP IN ON 27th DECEMBER