This practice guide, Supporting Children’s Language Development, provides information about how to support and understand children’s language development. It covers:

• Why supporting language development is so important
• Supporting language development in the under-3s
• Supporting language development with the over-3s
• Causes of communication difficulty

This practice guidance has been developed for all childcare professionals including childminders, nursery workers and nannies. Download Supporting Children’s Language Development here.

Reflecting on your practice

Did you know that reading and reflecting on factsheets and practice guides, and the resources mentioned in them, all contribute to your continuous professional development (CPD)?

It is helpful to keep a CPD log evidencing what you have done, when you did it, why you did it, what you learnt, and the impact it has had on your work and the well-being, learning and development of the children in your care. Think about how you would explain the impact the CPD has had for you to a parent, a student, an inspector, or a visitor to your setting.

Remember CPD is not just about attending a training course. It can be visiting another setting, reading a relevant book, publication, or blog; attending a webinar; researching a relevant topic; taking part in discussions with peers or taking part in online learning.