September at Tots Are Us: Why Talking to Your Little One Matters

It has been lovely welcoming all of our children back to Tots Are Us after our summer break! We hope all of our families had a wonderful summer and managed to make lots of lovely memories together.

September is always a busy time for us. As well as welcoming back lots of familiar little faces, we are also welcoming new children and families into Tots Are Us and helping our newest little ones settle into their new surroundings.

Starting nursery is a big change, not only for children but for parents too. Some children walk through the door ready to explore straight away, while others need a little more time, reassurance and plenty of cuddles before they begin to feel comfortable - and that's absolutely fine. We take settling in at each child's own pace and spend lots of time getting to know them, their routines, their likes and dislikes and all the little things that help them feel safe and secure.

We've also now messaged all parents with their child's individual home learning focus. These have been chosen specifically for each child based on where they are in their development and what we feel would be beneficial for them to work on next. We would love you to get involved at home and let us know how you're getting on. Remember, you can send us messages, photographs and videos through Baby's Days so we can see those lovely moments of learning happening outside nursery too.

One area of development that we place a huge amount of importance on at Tots Are Us is communication and language.

Communication starts long before a child says their first word. From the very beginning, babies are listening to the voices around them, watching facial expressions, noticing different sounds and gradually beginning to understand that communication goes backwards and forwards between people.

This is why one of the simplest and most valuable things you can do for your little one's development is talk to them - a lot!

It can sometimes feel a little strange having a full conversation with a baby who can't answer you yet, but they are taking in so much more than we realise.

Talk about what you're doing while you're getting them dressed: “Let's put your socks on. One sock... two socks. Now we need your shoes.” If you're walking to nursery, talk about what you can see: “Look at that big bus! Can you hear it? It's very noisy.” At bath time, name their body parts, talk about the bubbles and splash the water together.

These tiny conversations throughout the day expose children to words over and over again and help them begin to understand what those words mean.

And it doesn't need to be complicated. Singing nursery rhymes, sharing books, copying the sounds your baby makes, naming things they point towards and simply chatting while you go about your day are all supporting their communication and language development.

It's also really important to give children time to respond. A response doesn't necessarily have to be a word. Your baby might smile, make a noise, move their body or look towards something. An older child might point or use a gesture. When we notice these attempts to communicate and respond to them, children begin to understand that what they have to say matters.

As children's language develops, we can build on what they say too. If your child points and says “dog”, you might respond with “Yes, it's a big brown dog!” You're acknowledging what they've said while naturally introducing a few more words.

At Tots Are Us, these interactions happen throughout the whole day. Communication and language isn't something we only work on during a planned activity. It happens while we're playing, eating lunch, reading stories, getting ready to go outside, singing songs and having those lovely little conversations that happen spontaneously with the children.

The early years are such an important time for communication and language development, and parents have an incredibly important role to play. You don't need special resources or hours of planned activities - your voice is one of the best learning tools your child has.

So even if your little one isn't talking yet, keep chatting, singing, reading, responding and giving them opportunities to communicate with you. They really are listening and learning from every interaction.

And, as always, if you have any questions about your child's communication, language or development, please speak to us. We love working together with our families and supporting our little ones both at Tots Are Us and at home 💛