Speech and language toolkit

A guide to the ages and stages of children’s communication development for early years
providers – based on Universally Speaking and ECAT guidance.

Introduction from:

If you have a concern about a child’s speech, language or communication progress, you might find it helpful
to use this speech and language guidance, which combines Universally Speaking, ECAT (Every Child a
Talker) red flags for speech and language development and a good understanding of typical child
development, to assess whether you need to take further action.

You do not need to use this tracking regularly for every child. If you know a child is making good progress
because you are tracking their progress...

- Using your own knowledge of child development to check they are progressing and...
- You have immersed them in a language rich curriculum and...
- Parents are talking, singing and reading to them regularly at home and...
- They are saying lots of new words and phrases regularly and...
- They love story time and participate in music and rhyme activities...
... then you are doing enough to know they are getting on well.

However, if you are concerned that a child is not making good progress, or they are not engaging with the
curriculum you have planned for them (individual or group opportunities for learning), then you might want
to use this tracker to help you confirm whether you are right to be concerned.

When using a speech and language tracker:

- Observe the child – spend time talking to them and watch / listen to them during play.
- Assess the child using the ‘ages’ in the tracker.
- Plan focused activities to support the child –
o Talk to them during playful interactions.
o Include them in regular daily reading and song and rhyme sessions.
o Know the child’s interests and talk to them about what they like to talk about!
o Introduce new vocabulary during conversation, when reading books and singing songs.
o Make statements about what the child is doing rather than asking lots of questions.
- Speak to parents - what is the child saying at home?

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If you have a concern about a child’s progress

Children should flourish in a language rich environment, with lots of input from parents or carers at home
and staff in their early years setting. Daily scheduled reading and song and rhyme sessions, alongside lots
of rich conversations during play, will support their communication and language development. Staff should
consider what words they are introducing to the child as part of a vocabulary rich curriculum.

Experts advise that most problems with speech and language are temporary and well-timed interventions
will support the child to make the best possible progress. However, if you are concerned about a child’s
speech, language, listening, attention or communication...

Before age 2
If you are concerned about a child’s progress before you are due to write the child’s Progress Check at 2,
you can use this or a similar tracker to note your concerns. You should then raise them with parents and
advise parents to access support for their child.
At the same time, you can look at the ‘to encourage talk’ sections of the tracker and chat to parents about
how they support their child’s speech and language development at home .
Notes: do not delay raising concerns while you wait for the Progress Check at 2; it is advisable to keep a
record of conversations with parents and interventions you have used to show Ofsted during inspection.

At age 2 - 3
If you are concerned about a child’s progress when you are writing the Progress Check at 2, you must
record the red flags you have noted on the child’s progress check form – it is a statutory requirement of the
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Encourage parents to share the Progress Check at 2 with their
Health Visitor and to raise concerns at the appointment.

After the Progress Check has been written

You can continue to use the speech and language tracker to note your concerns, raise them with parents
and use the activity ideas to support the child’s home learning. You should also advise parents to speak to
their child’s health visitor or the family doctor for support for their child.

Note: you should always involve parents by asking them about their child’s home learning alongside your
own assessment of children’s progress in the early years setting and, where relevant, speak to any other
settings they attend. This is because children often do and say different things in different environments
and it is important to ensure your tracking is accurate before you raise a red flag or ask parents to speak to
other agencies or professionals.

© Childcare.co.uk, 2021 | Written by Sarah Neville

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Universally Speaking and ECAT – by 6 months old

Babies communicate from day one. As they develop, they begin to watch the adults and other children
around them and start making noises. They will communicate with adults by watching their faces and might
try to copy what they do. Being able to copy is important for young babies – it is how they learn. By 6
months, babies will usually:
 Make sounds – cooing, gurgling and babbling – to themselves and with other people.
 Turn towards a sound when they hear it and be startled by loud noises.
 Watch an adult’s face when you talk to them and make noises to get your attention.
 Get excited when they hear voices coming, maybe by kicking or waving their arms or making noises.
 Smile and laugh when other people smile and laugh.
 Have different cries for different needs – for example, one cry for hunger, another when they are tired.
 Make sounds back when talked to.

Observe and assess to support progress:

 Copy sounds the baby makes - can they look at you and do they sometimes join in? Are they cooing
and gurgling to themselves? This will encourage more noises and is the start of turn-taking and
conversations.
 Talk to babies about what is happening - are they watching your face while you are talking? Hold them
close to your face when you are talking to them so they can see you clearly.
 Spend time talking and playing - get down on the floor with babies and play - does baby enjoy the
company of adults? Does baby smile and laugh with you?

To encourage communication:
 Get close, let them see your face, get down to their level.
 Talk in a sing song voice – it will keep them interested in what you are saying and babies respond really
well to this.
 Tell baby what is happening and what you notice about them – they are listening and taking it all in.
 Listen to them – leave little spaces in your talk for the baby to join in or start the ‘conversation’.
 Ask them questions, tell them what you see – you may get a gurgle for an answer.
 Set aside some special time every day to play with toys, sing songs and rhymes, play ‘peek-a-boo’
games and look at and talk about picture books – it’s never too early to share books.

ECAT red flags: speech and language skills develop from a very early age. However, some babies do not
develop the early skills they need. These can be very difficult to spot from an early age. Some red flags
include:
 Baby is not startled by loud noises / does not react to sounds.
 Baby does not engage in eye contact when spoken to.
 Baby does not smile back at someone smiling at them.
 Baby does not watch a speaker’s face with interest.

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Universally Speaking and ECAT – by 1 year old

Babies communicate in more ways now – making noises, pointing and looking to get your attention. They
start to understand routines, simple words and activities. By one year, babies will usually:
 Make talking noises - babble strings of sounds, like ‘ma-ma-ma’, ‘ba-ba-ba’.
 Point and look at you to get your attention – smile at you when you smile at them.
 Often say their first words – they may also use gestures.
 Start to understand words especially when a gesture is used at the same time – for example ‘bye-bye’
and ‘up’.
 Recognise the names of familiar objects – for example, ‘cup’ and ‘bowl’, ‘teddy’ and ‘mummy’.
 Look at you when you speak or when they hear their name called.
 Take turns in ‘conversations’, babbling back to an adult using their home language rhythm.
 Babbles using a range of sound combinations, with changes in pitch, rhythm and loudness.

Observe and assess to support progress:

 Do they try and get your attention?
 Do babies respond to things you say a lot? For example, you say “arms up” and the baby puts their
arms up.
 Have 3 or 4 familiar objects near the baby and ask for one of them – do they look at the object or point
to it? They may even give it to you – for example, if you say “Where’s teddy?”
 Talk to baby and leave a space for them to answer back – do they make talking noises and join in the
‘conversation’? Wait for them to make a sound or do something, then copy the baby and wait again.

To encourage communication:
 Talk about everyday activities – for example, getting dressed, eating and bathing.
 Copy baby when they are babbling, taking turns and having a ‘conversation’.
 Use actions with words – for example, wave as you say “bye-bye” or holding your hands out to the baby
and saying “up”. This will help them understand the words and encourage them to join in.
 Sing action songs and rhymes to encourage communication and concentration – for example, ‘This little
piggy went to market...’ and play games like ‘peek-a-boo’.
 Get on their level to play, listen and talk with them – make sounds that interest them and get their
attention.
 Babies learn language through play, interaction and repetition, so anything that does this is good.
 Babies love treasure baskets, full of things they can explore and tell you about.
 Get eye contact during routine activities – for example, getting dressed, eating or nappy changing.
 Plan special time every day to read books, sing songs and enjoy playing together.

ECAT red flags: speech and language skills develop from a very early age, but some babies do not
develop the early skills they need. This can be very difficult to spot from an early age – however, red flags
include a baby who does not:
 Respond to noises by 9 months.
 Point to things they are interested in by 1 year.
 Babble using a range of sound combinations, with changes in pitch, rhythm and volume – and there is
limited use of gestures.
 Babble with intonation and rhythm in their home language.
 Try to gain your attention by making noises, through eye contact, facial expressions or reaching by 1.

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Universally Speaking and ECAT – by 18 months old

This is a very exciting time – the child will be starting to talk. Not everyone will understand but they will
attempt to say a handful of words. By 18 months, children will usually be talking and they will be able to say
around 20 words - these are usually things they hear a lot at home or in the setting. They might say words
in a ‘baby talk’ way, but the words are usually consistent in how they sound. They will also understand
some simple words and short phrases and:
 Recognise words for things they hear a lot during the day – for example, ‘coat on’, ‘drink’, ‘shoes’, ‘bus’,
‘in your buggy’, ‘dinner time’, ‘all gone’.
 Recognise and point to familiar objects when you ask them.
 Enjoy games and toys that make a noise – they still like the comfort of a familiar adult nearby.
 Explore their world and starting to enjoy simple pretend play – for example, talking on the phone.

Observe and assess to support progress: listen out for what they are saying - are they saying words
now in their own way? What can they say at home? Does the child, for example:
 Get excited when you mention things they enjoy? For example, “dinner time”
 Look around when you ask questions or give instructions? For example, look when you say “Where’s
teddy?”
 Point out some of the pictures you mention when reading a book together? For example, the dog when
you say “Where’s the dog?”
 Talk to you while playing simple games? For example, ‘peek-a-boo’ or building a tower with bricks.
 Enjoy your company?
 Like playing and exploring in the setting and at home?
 Join in with building towers and knocking them over?
 Pretend talk? For example, if you give them a pretend phone and you have another one.

To encourage communication:
 Get down to their level and watch, listen and comment on what they are doing.
 Sing nursery rhymes with actions – for example, ‘Incy Wincy spider’.
 Talk about what you are doing – for example, ‘Let’s change your nappy’.
 When babies point to an object, tell them what it is – for example, ‘Banana’.
 If they try to say a word, say it back to them so they can hear the name of the object clearly.
 Share picture books and talk about the pictures in short sentences.
 Play ‘ready, steady go’ with games using bubbles or rolling a ball – remember to be on their level.
 Spend time outside with children, talking, listening and exploring.

ECAT red flags: while all children develop differently, most 18-month-olds will have many immature
speech patterns. However, you should ask for support if the child does not:
 Attempt to communicate using gestures or words by 12 – 15 months.
 Say their first words by 18 months.
 Use some real words (may be hard to understand) and some ‘jargon’.
 Appear to understand some of what you say to them by 18 months

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Universally Speaking and ECAT – by 2 years old

2-year-olds are into everything and will be exploring the world around them much more actively. Their
understanding of words and phrases grows really quickly during this time. They often understand much
more than they say. This can result in frustration when they don’t get their message across. By age 2
years, children will usually:
 Use 50 or more single words – for example, ‘juice’, ‘car’, ‘biscuit’.
 Be starting to put short sentences together with two to three words – for example, “more juice” or “bye-
bye daddy”.
 Be asking simple questions – for example, “what that?”, “who that?”. They might do this quite a lot!
 Understand between 200 and 500 words, simple questions and instructions.
 Enjoy pretend play with their toys, feeding dolly or driving a car, usually making noises and talking while
playing.
 Become very frustrated when they cannot get their message across – this is one reason for toddler
tantrums.

Observe and assess to support progress:

 Make sure you have time every day when you can have a ‘conversation’: you should notice toddlers
using more single words, putting two or maybe three words together.
 Comment on what they are doing and they may talk about it: this works better than asking questions.
 Wait and respond to what they say: toddlers do not always do what we want them to, but on a good day
you can note their understanding. Think about: do they understand simple questions? For example,
when putting the toys away, do they follow “find me the bricks” Or if you are looking at picture books,
can they point out familiar objects when you say? For example, “Where’s the dog?” or “What’s the boy
doing?”
 Can they play a simple game? Watch how they play and react to others – they typically enjoy adults’
company and might let you join in with their games. Do they enjoy simple pretend games? For example,
with cars and trains, shopping and cooking? Do they also enjoy puzzles? For example, shape sorting
games or simple jigsaws.
 Young children are not great at being directed by adults, but you can set up different activities: try to
follow their lead. For example, do they begin to pretend to go shopping or cook dinner?

To encourage communication:
 Share interactive books with flaps and different textures books together.
 Wait for toddlers to initiate talking – don’t feel that you have to fill the silences.
 Repeat and expand on what the child says – for example, if a child says “car” you can say “mummy’s
car”, “blue car” etc. This shows the child how words can be put together.
 Play, taking their lead and building language and thinking to help them learn and grow.
 Sing finger rhymes and action songs to teach the rhythms of language and make talking and listening
fun.

ECAT red flags: while all children develop differently, most 2.5-year-olds will substitute some sounds – for
example, ‘tap’ for ‘cat’ and speech sounds might be immature. Ask for support if the child does not:
 Start to follow simple instructions.
 Say at least 25 recognisable words and use those words to tell you what they want.
 Respond consistently to the word ‘no’.

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Universally Speaking and ECAT – by 3 years old

Children will be saying lots more words and you will notice that they use new words almost daily. They will
ask endless questions to help them learn and find out about the world around them; they are often keen to
have conversations with adults they know well. By age 3 years, children will usually:
 Refer to something that has happened in the past.
 Put 4 or 5 words together to make short sentences.
 Have clearer speech, although they will still have some immaturities.
 Listen to and remember simple stories with pictures.
 Understand longer instructions.
 Understand simple ‘who?’, ‘what?’ and ‘where?’ questions.
 Play more with other children and join in with play – they will usually play more imaginative games.
 Have a proper conversation, though they may flit around the topic a bit and be difficult to follow at times.
 Recognise how other people feel and try to do something about it – show some empathy.

Observe and assess to support progress:

 Spend time with the child and listen to what they are saying - are they speaking in sentences, for
example, can they join 4 or 5 words together?
 You should be able to understand most of what they say, though speech might not be clear to
everyone.
 3-year-olds understand a lot more of what is being said – can they understand questions? Can they
remember longer instructions and information? For example, “Teddy is in the box”, “find a big plate.”
They should be able to understand these things by listening to adults talking without being shown.
 They will enjoy the company of adults and other children and watch other children playing – when they
feel comfortable, they will join in. They might ask you to play with them and join in simple games.

To encourage communication:
 Add words to the child’s sentences to show how words fit together.
 When you share books, talk about the story and characters – encourage the child to join in to make
them more active.
 If the child says words that are not clear, the best way to help is to repeat what they have said using the
right words and sounds: there is no need to make them say it again.
 Songs and rhymes help children learn the patterns of speech, important skills when learning to read.
 Have conversations about real things – let them start the conversation, listen to them and follow their
interests.
 Keep talk going by nodding, smiling and encouraging them to tell more through comments rather than
questions.

ECAT red flags: 3-year-olds often have problems with sounds like ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ‘th’ and ‘r’ – however, people
who know them can mostly understand them. Seek advice from a speech and language therapist if:
 The child has limited speech and only says single words instead of joining words together into short
sentences.
 The child has limited understanding of simple questions and is slow to respond to instructions.
 The child relies on being shown what to do (or copies what other children are doing) rather than
understanding what they are told to do verbally.
 The child relies on pointing to get what they want.
 You cannot understand most of what they say and they are getting frustrated due to lack of language.

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Universally Speaking and ECAT – by 4 years old

Children understand and say lots of words and sentences now. You can see them using their talking to
meet new friends or to work out problems. They talk to find out new information by asking lots of questions.
A massive amount of learning happens in this time. By age 4 years, children will usually:
 Ask lots of questions using words like ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘why’.
 Be able to answer questions about ‘why’ something has happened.
 Use longer sentences and link sentences together with, for example, ‘and’ and ‘because’.
 Describe events that have already happened.
 Have mostly clear speech, though will continue to have difficulties with a small number of sounds – for
example ‘r’ – as in rabbit, ‘l’ – as in letter, ‘th’ as in thumb, ‘sh’ as in show, and ‘j’ as in jam.
 Listen to longer stories and answer questions about a story they have just heard.
 Understand and often use colour, number and time related words, for example, ‘red’ car, ‘three’ fingers.
 Start to like simple jokes – though often their own jokes make little sense.
 Start to be able to plan games with others, enjoying make-believe and pretend / role play together.

Observe and assess to support progress: by 4 years, children can usually explain their ideas and talk in
sentences; they talk about things that have happened and are usually easily understood by others.
 Can they explain where they went and what happened?
 Can they use longer sentences joined up with words like ‘because’, ‘or’, and ‘and’?
 They are getting good at understanding more and more of what people are saying: ask them to do a
simple task as part of everyday activities. Are they able to follow simple 2-part instructions reasonably
well?
 Are they able to understand simple ‘why’ questions? For example, talk about a story and ask questions.
 They use talk in different ways – including to organise themselves and their play.

To encourage communication:
 Join the child in pretend play - play alongside them and let them take the lead. Listen and talk about
what they are saying and doing rather than asking lots of questions.
 Give longer instructions for them to follow.
 Play around with words and sounds – for example, think of words that begin with the same sound. Get
the child to think of words that belong to the same category – for example, as many different animals
you can think of.
 Make up a story together – think of a character, where he lives, where he goes today, what he does,
whether there are any mishaps and what happens in the end.

ECAT red flags: by age 4, children should be developing sound clusters and most speech should be
understandable. Seek advice from a speech and language therapist if:
 The child is struggling to turn ideas into sentences and only uses short phrases.
 The language the child uses is jumbled and / or difficult to understand by parents or their key person.
 The child is unresponsive or slow to follow instructions.
 The child finds it difficult to ask questions or to find the words they want to use to express themselves.

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Universally Speaking and ECAT – by 5 years old

By the age of five, almost all children will be in school. At this stage, they need to learn how to listen,
understand and share their ideas within the classroom. They also need to understand words and phrases
used in school that they may not have heard at home – things like ‘line up’, ‘packed lunch’ and ‘talk to your
partner’ etc. They also still need to have conversations – to share information, to make friends and explain
how they are feeling. By age 5 years, children will usually:
 Take turns in much longer conversations, using sentences that are well formed.
 Be learning more words all the time as well as thinking more about the meanings of words, such as
describing the meaning of simple words or asking what a new word means.
 Be able to re-tell short stories they have heard in roughly the right order, using story language.
 Use most speech sounds. However, they may have some difficulties with more difficult words such as
‘scribble’ or ‘elephant’ and some speech sounds such as ‘r’ and ‘th’ may still be difficult.
 Enjoy listening to stories, songs and rhymes and will start to make up their own.
 Ask relevant questions or make relevant comments in relation to what they have heard.
 Understand spoken instructions without stopping what they are doing to look at the speaker.
 Understand more complicated language – ‘first’, ‘last’, ‘might’, ‘maybe’, ‘above’ and ‘in between’.
 Understand words that describe sequences – “first we are ..., next we will ...”.
 Choose their own friends.
 Use talk for different roles in imaginative play, to interact and negotiate and have longer conversations
 Use talk to help work out problems to organise their thinking and take part in activities.

Observation and assessment

By age 5, children can have conversations; they know lots of words and can use longer sentences, though
they still might make some little mistakes, which is fine. Listen and note –
 Can they organise their thoughts and put longer sentences together?
 Can you usually understand what they are saying?
 Do they regularly get frustrated or give up trying to tell you something?
 Do they regularly forget the words or miss out important pieces of information?
 Do they sound muddled and disorganised in their talking? If so, they may be struggling.
 Can they listen for instructions while they are busy with something else? E.g. Ask them to get their coat
and shoes while they are playing (not TV or computer, they are too absorbing).
 Are they beginning to get the idea of time? E.g. “Mummy will be here after lunch.”
 Do they understand a longer list of instructions? E.g. “First get your lunchbox, then sit at the red table.”
Note if they have to watch another child in order to know what to do, rather than understanding it
themselves. This might indicate difficulties in hearing or understanding.

To encourage communication:
 Play board games that involve taking turns – this game helps children to listen.
 Introduce new words and phrases to help them continue learning. Think of lots of different words that
mean a similar thing – for example, words that mean ‘big’.
 Play with rhyme – for example, “cat, fat, hat, splat... any more?” it’s an important skill for reading.
 Children may need time to think before responding to questions and instructions.

Red flags: there will be times when 5-year-olds will be happy to play alone, with adults, or with other
children. As they play, note –
 Do they talk with other children and join in with group conversations and games? Are there any children
who seem isolated? Check it out further.
 Talk to children about what they enjoyed most in a day – these conversations often include different
games or activities they play with friends.
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