Children aged 18-24 months

On this page are strategies devised by speech and language therapists for you to try to help your child aged 18-24 months to develop their communication skills. They focus on supporting your child’s understanding, talking and social interaction.

In each section you can scroll through the videos by using the arrow on the right. It will be helpful to watch the videos and then choose one or two strategies to try at a time with your child. Try the ideas shown whilst you go about your everyday routines and while you play with your child.

Help with understanding

The videos below help you to support your child to develop their understanding of language. If your child is not yet talking, it can be useful to think about and support their understanding first.

You may also find it useful to visit our early communication page for an overview of ‘objects of reference’ which can be used to support your child’s understanding of daily routines and spoken language and help them to communicate their choices.

Sharing books with your child is also useful for helping your child develop language and communication.

Strategies to try as you play 

These videos detail how to follow your child’s lead, get down to their level and comment and repeat. You’ll also learn the importance of keeping it simple, using  language and gestures to help your child learn words, and how by slowing your talking and singing you will help your child to focus on and understand words.

Reading books together

Reading and singing together will help your child learn to understand sentences and use words. These videos give tips on how to make reading come alive, they explain how to encourage your child to join in as well as how to share a book, encourage your child to take turns and communicate with you.

Learning words together

These videos will help your child to understand single words. You’ll learn why teaching action words is so important and how to do it.

Help with social interaction

The videos below help you to support your child learn to interact with others. If your child is not yet talking, it can be useful to think about and support their social interaction first.

You may also find it useful to visit our early communication page for an introduction to ‘intensive interaction’ –  an approach that supports interaction and learning in the early stages of communication development.

You may also find this Fun with bubbles resource helpful.

Strategies to try as you play

These videos detail how to follow your child’s lead and get down to their level. Children learn words through play and you can make it easier for them to talk to you and learn language by following their lead. And by getting down to your child’s level you support your interaction with them as they see and hear you better, so it’s easier for them to listen and follow.

Ideas for activities

These videos explain how to build attention and focus using balloons and games. You’ll also learn how to join in and have fun with whatever your child enjoys.

Help with talking

Strategies to try as you play

Children learn words through play and you can make it easier for them to talk to you by following their lead. Getting down to their level and commenting and repeating, using simple language and gestures, helps them learn the meaning of new words.

Reading books together

Reading and singing together will help your child learn to understand sentences and use words. These videos give tips on how to make reading come alive, they explain how to encourage your child to join in as well as how to share a book, encourage your child to take turns and communicate with you.

Deciding words to learn together

Helpful advice on thinking about what words your child might learn first, learning five first words (plus Makaton signing – see the early communication page for information about Makaton), the importance of action or doing words and helping you child to learn verbs.

Creating reasons for communication

Tips on how to give your child a reason to talk and how to offer choices to get your child talking, as well as how to use snack time to practice speech and language.

The importance of offering choices

Offering choices gives your child an opportunity to communicate with you and provides them with a clear language model – they see and hear the word at the same time.

Begin with two items – one in each hand. Show and say the name of each item and as you do so, hold them close to your child so they can make a choice. Your child might make a choice by looking at the item they want or reaching towards it, pointing, making a sound or using a sign or symbol.

If you are a bilingual parent, use the main home language with your child. It’s fine to sometimes use the English words to name things and use other words in your home language. For example, in Urdu, you might ask Aapko kiya lena hai? “ apple?” ya “banana?

Offer choices whenever you can, everyday, such as:

• When getting dressed ‘do you want to wear a jumper or cardigan?’
• At snack time ‘do you want an apple or banana?’
• At play time ‘do you want the car or the bus?’
• At bath time ‘wash your hair or your face?’

If your child chooses something they don’t like, give them the item they picked. For example, if they picked an apple, and you know they don’t like apples, let your child try it. They will start to learn that ‘apple’ means the fruit they picked.They will also learn that they don’t like apples.

Other sources of help