Let’s Talk
Talking and listening to children from the moment they’re born helps them develop good language and communication skills. This enables them to listen and express themselves well and also helps them to learn and develop good relationships.
Most brain development occurs from birth to age two, so babies and toddlers need stimulation as much as they need nourishing food. The best way to stimulate babies’ brains is to talk to them more. You don’t need to be an expert to help your child, and the Let’s Talk project equips parents with the skills they need to best develop their child’s communication skills.
This is the driving idea behind our FREE Let’s Talk groups, run across the Better Start Southend areas.
- Talking Walk-In:
Talking Walk-In is a session for parents/carers who want advice about their child’s speech and/or language development. You will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s development with a Speech and Language Therapist. Your health visitor, GP or your child’s nursery/pre-school may direct you to the Let’s Talk team or you may just want some reassurance that your child is progressing well. The sessions are FREE to families living in any of the six A Better Start wards in Southend who have a child aged 0 – 4 years.
- Babbling Babies:
Babbling Babies is a workshop for mums, dads, carers and their babies aged over 9 months old. Different aspects of your little one’s communication development will be focused on using fun and interactive activities. You will learn handy hints and activities that you can use at home.
- 23 Month Language Screening:
As your toddler approaches their 2nd birthday, you will receive a text inviting you to an online speech and language check. This is a free offer and only takes about 15 minutes. You will have the opportunity to discuss your little one’s speech and language development, and will be provided with some ideas and activities to further support their communication.
- Talking Tiddlers:
Talking Tiddlers is an exciting three week course for parents, carers and their very young children. Each week we will focus on different aspects of your little one’s language development through a variety of play based learning activities where we will support your child’s listening and attention, understanding, vocabulary, play skills and social interaction.
- Talking Toddlers:
Talking Toddlers is a fun course for mums, dads, carers and their children. There are two different courses, Toddler A (3-weeks) and Toddler B (4 weeks) depending on your little one’s stage of communication development. Each week has a different theme and focuses on different aspects of your child’s language development such as learning new words and building your child’s attention and listening. You will be given lots of ideas to practice at home.
- Chat As We Grow:
We offer a 3-week online workshop for parents and carers of children following Talking Tiddlers & Talking Toddlers A. You will be provided with information about children’s language development and gain some top tips on how to support their talking at home.
- Chatting Children:
Chatting Children is another of our fun-filled 4-week courses for mums, dads and carers for children aged over 3 years. These courses will help you to find ways to support your little one’s understanding, listening, turn-taking and talking.
- Super Sounds:
Super sounds is a 5-week face-to-face group with other children, which may be offered to encourage listening skills and provide lots of ideas for activities to support the development of speech sounds.
- Attention ABS:
Attention ABS are courses designed to support your child’s attention, play and turn-taking skills. There are two different courses, Curiosity and Attention ABS 2. Each course takes places over three weeks and lasts around 30 minutes. Curiosity takes place on a one-to-one basis for younger children and Attention ABS 2 is a group course for 3yrs + children.
We hold all our sessions/groups at local venues, for example Family Centres.
For more information, please contact the Let’s Talk team at epunft.abetterstartadmin@nhs.net
