Practical ideas for shared time at home with an oral language focus

• Look together at photos or videos of when children were young

• Look through a magazine/junk mail

• Sharing what you find interesting or funny

• Alert your child to an article or picture in the newspaper that may interest them

• Read books to or with your child. It is important for the entire family to do this too! Children are more likely to value reading if you show you do as well.

• Retell a favourite story or one from your childhood

• Visit the local library and choose books together both fiction and reference books

• Make up a story from your own experiences or from when your children were little. For example: the day you lost your first tooth

• Turn off the TV and take turns to tell some NEWS from the day. Be careful not to dwell too much on the negative aspects of your busy day. Perhaps offer a topic such as 2 good things that happened in my day.

• Play talking/memory games such as ‘I went to the zoo and I saw …’

• Play cards or board games. Give the children opportunities to explain the rules and organise the games.