Early Years Support (0-5 Years)

It's never too early to start communicating with your baby:

• When your baby cries, respond in a sensitive and nurturing way, this helps baby learn to feel safe
• Talk to your baby during bathtime, changing and feeding  
• Use different happy voice tones to interest baby
• Listen to your baby – can you work out what their sounds mean?
• Copy your baby’s sounds and expressions
• Make eye contact with your baby
• Sing songs – your baby loves your voice!
• Cuddle and hold your baby close – baby needs this to feel secure
• Use a higher pitch or expressive voice often called a ‘sing song’ voice
• Show bright colourful mobiles and toys

Spending time with your newborn:

• Make sounds, facial expressions and gestures for baby to copy eg blow raspberries, smile, wave, clap hands
• Talk to your baby about everyday activities, things and objects to encourage their curiosity
• Respond to your baby’s sounds, it is their first attempt at language
• Sing songs, tell nursery rhymes – your baby loves your voice!
• Maintain a positive emotional relationship with your baby, look into their eyes, reflect their smiles, share cuddles, play in the bath water
• Play on the floor with your baby
• Show baby bright colourful pictures
• Join your local library!

Spending time with your eight month old:

• Name lots of things around you and repeat them through the day
• When baby makes a sound like a word, say the word
• Talk about the things your baby shows you or looks at
• Talk about everyday activities, things and objects
• Play games like ‘peek a boo’
• Tell nursery rhymes with actions, e.g. ‘incy wincy spider’
• Point to and name body parts – ‘where are your eyes?’
• Give baby small durable books with colours and textures
• Point to and talk about pictures in books over and over again
• Join your local library and playgroup!

Spending time with your 12 month old:

• Name the things around you
• Use action words to describe what you are doing or see eg washing, playing, reading
• Play games like ‘Peek a boo’, dance to music
• Read books together
• Play together with blocks, stacking toys, dolls
• Repeat lots of songs and nursery rhymes
• Point to pictures together and talk about them
• Name pictures of animals and ask what sound each makes
• Visit your local library and playgroup!

Build conversation by taking turns:

• Add to their words – "Yes it is a big balloon"
• Use action words to describe things you do and see
• Describe things – i.e. small, hot or wet
• Talk about things – i.e. happy, sad or cross
• Ask questions – "What is that?"
• Show books – i.e animals, food and other children
• Give books with pictures and some words
• Read books over and over again
• Go to your local City of Melville Library Rhyme Time or Storytime
• Be a good role model, as children learn from watching and copying you
• Avoid exposing children to anti-social actions and events

Spending time with your two year old:

• Repeat what your child says and add a few words
• Reward any sentences – even if they aren't perfect!
• Make time to play with your child! Play helps children develop the skills they will use in life, as they build knowledge, try to solve problems and learn to share
• Encourage pretend play – be an elephant or a lion at the zoo!
• Count things - fingers, toes, blocks, steps
• Show books with pictures and some words – your child loves pictures of animals, food and other children
• Encourage your child to read books over and over again, and visit your local City of Melville Rhyme Time or Story Time
• Include your child in day to day experiences such as helping in the house or shopping at the supermarket – be enthusiastic to make things fun!
• Encourage imaginative play with household items such as boxes, clean sand, pots and pans
• Be a good role model, as children learn from watching and copying you
• Avoid exposing children to anti-social actions and events

Spending time with your three year old:

• Talk about feelings, name them and include children in concern and care for others
• Provide experiences to help express feelings like drawing, painting, music, playing with sand
• Read alphabet and counting books. Point to letters, especially the ones in your child’s name
• Encourage drawing and colouring – make things with boxes, playdough and blocks
• Go to your local playgroup – make opportunities for children to form relationships with other children and adults
• Play dress ups and ‘lets pretend’ games
• Retell the same stories, especially at bedtime
• Encourage your child to retell stories and talk about places they have visited or things they have done
• Talk about pictures and read stories about feelings

Spending time with your 3.5 year old:

• Read alphabet and counting books and ask "how many?" and "what colour?"
• Re-tell the same stories, especially at bedtime, and ask "what happens next?"
• Talk about pictures and read stories about feelings - name them and include children in concern and care for others
• Provide experiences – drawing, painting, music, playing with sand - to help express feelings
• Point to letters – especially the ones in your child's name
• Encourage your child to re-tell their favourite stories to you
• Let your child talk about the places they have visited or the things they have done. Ask "who was there?" "how did you feel?"

Spending time with your four to five year old:

• Discuss things your child has done – “What did you do at kindy today?”
• Ask when, why, who questions - give them time to ask and answer questions!
• Sort and match colours and shapes
• Play memory games – “What’s missing?”
• Visit the library often – ask about books for 4 year olds
• Let your child choose books to read
• Encourage your child to act out stories – put on a play, use dolls and toys
• Ask “What happens next in the story?”
• Play ‘Find the letters’ game – especially letters in their name
• Write letters of the alphabet