Children Chatter Matters 

3. Encourage your child to use a range of ‘openers’ when starting a conversation or getting your attention (rather than just ‘Muummmmm’:

e.g. I’ve just had the best idea..

       The strangest thing just happened..

       Mum, unfortunately..

       I would like to add..

       Would the best parent in the world please...

       I’m wondering..

You might respond quicker when you hear a different one!

4. Encourage your child to include the following parts when retelling a story/ experience: who/ where/ when/ what happened/ feelings/ why. Encourage them to use some joining words such as because, if, when, but, so, however, until, or, unless, then, consequently, before, after as, instead of. You might like to start a sentence for them to finish.

e.g. Just after breakfast, my brother and I had a fight. He used my Spongebob toothbrush. Yuck!!! I hate it when he uses my Spongebob toothbrush because his breath stinks. Mum wasn’t very pleased with us and said we couldn’t have a treat after school.

Your teacher will have access to each of these cue cards for you to print off and use to guide your child’s language at home.