Please see below for lots of helpful links designed to support your child’s language and communication development.

BBC Tiny Happy People offers a wide range of tips, advice, activities and play ideas to help you develop your child’s communication skills.

Foundation Years provides an online version of Action for Children’s What to expect, when? guide, which covers your child’s learning and development from birth to five years old. It highlights what you might notice your child doing at each stage and provides tips on how you can help.

I CAN is a national charity, which supports children to communicate. They offer information and advice for parents, along with running community outreach programmes and training for professionals. They also offer a telephone helpline on 0207 843 2544 (Monday to Wednesday 9:30am to 4:30pm), where you can speak to a Speech and Language Therapist, if you’re concerned about your child’s communication development.

Talking Point is run by I CAN and provides the information and advice parents need to help support their child’s speech, language and communication skills. They also offer a progress checker and a range of questions to ask your child’s school.

Words for Life is a fantastic website from the National Literacy Trust, which is packed with information, tips and videos to help parents chat, play and read with their young child every day. It covers newborns to five year olds.

As a first port of call, please contact Barnsley FIS:

Email: infofis@barnsley.gov.uk | Phone: 0800 0345 340