Speech Language and Communication 6-12 years

Once your child has reached the age of 6, their speech language and communication skills will already have developed well and they should be able to use it to speak, understand and learn.  They will also use these skills to communicate, play and socialise with others.

The next stage of this development is also very important as the child begins to read and write.  Your child will begin to ask lots of questions and expect an answer that they can understand.  Also at this stage, your child will be able to follow more instructions and they will begin to increase their vocabulary.  This stage is a very important stage in their school life.

It is vital, therefore, that parents or carers are involved in their child’s learning at this stage.  Here are some ways you can support your child:-

• Always listen to your child when they want to talk and allow them to speak, without interruption. 
• Use every opportunity to start a conversation, i.e; dinner times, when driving or before bedtime.
• Ask what they have enjoyed that day and what their favourite thing was.
• Try to stay positive and don’t speak at them but allow them to feel you are having an equal conversation.  Encourage them to use longer sentences by asking open ended questions that can’t be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
• Encourage them to read daily and try to encourage them to read books that are a little difficult for them.  Read to them regularly and make it fun, using different accents for different characters etc.  Really animate what you are reading so they stay interested.

Your child will develop their speech, language and communication levels each year.  You will find guidance on a child’s speech, language and communication stages here.

If you are worried or concerned about your child’s speech and language development, contact the Healthy Child Service.