Page 60 - Issue 112 May-June 2021

60 into someone else’s head – sharing an idea with them! So for the 10-12 month-old baby, one of the greatest gifts we can give them is to set up an environment that creates the need to share their thinking. Although their first proto words might be ‘quack’ or ‘moo’ these will typically be as a label for a much repeated word. We can use play to set up simple problems that help them learn other reasons to communicate. The Game: Ducks and water sensory play “Show they are thinking the same thing as you” spilled. Label the problem ‘uhoh’ and direct someone to solve it ‘wipe wipe.’ Or a duck falls on the floor ‘uhoh’ and ‘up up’ to pick it up. At the end of the activity you can model for the child that you say ‘bye bye’ and then wave to make the duck disappear, so teaching them that they can use their words to signal that they are finished. Two-and-a-half-year-old – Train play Setting up the play: Have an empty tray and tell the child ‘We’re going to have water for the ducks!’ Pause and say ‘uhoh! There’s no water!’ Signal with your finger and look puzzled – something is missing! Allow the child to take a turn to show you they have understood. This could be through a furrowed brow, saying ‘uhoh’ or looking around for water. You have created a need for them to label a problem to show they are thinking the same thing as you. Tell the child ‘We need water!’ and show them the water in a jug. Wait to see if the child shows you they’ve understood that it’s the solution to the problem. This might be verbally by copying or a body movement. Hold the jug above the tray and say ‘pour!’ and then pour a little water. Pause and wait to see if the child will vocalise or copy ‘pour.’ Each time they produce a sound you can pour a little water in. You’re showing them here that they can use their voice to direct you. You can probably guess what happens next – once all the water is in, there are no ducks! Point to the ducks a distance away and show the child how you can call them ‘quack quack’ and they come a little closer. Pause and wait for the child to vocalise each time they do the duck comes closer. The baby is learning that she can use her voice to call things/ people! Once the ducks have arrived you can sing ‘five little ducks,’ leaving a pause for the child to vocalise ‘Mummy duck said.....’ Again, it doesn’t have to be an exact word, but you are teaching them that they can join in with singing! The baby can then have plenty of time to enjoy the duck water play. You might find other problems come up like water being By the age of two and a half children have made the play transition from pretending on larger objects such as a doll at around 18 months to beginning to enjoy small world play. You’ll see that many of their needs to communicate are exactly the same as those of the 12-month-old baby, but the language and concepts they need to convey are much more sophisticated. Two-year-olds can typically become very engaged in their small world play, making it tricky for adults to feel like they can join in other than labelling ‘oh, your train’s going over the bridge!’ The key way an adult can join the child’s play is to create the need to communicate, once again, by introducing problems for the child to solve. Set the train track up so that it isn’t completely built but there isn’t a spare piece nearby. Allow the child to run their train around the track until they hit the missing piece. Help them to label the problem. If they don’t do it spontaneously you could help them to tell someone else ‘Tell Lucy, the track’s broken!’ You can then all think about the solution ‘we need more track!’ Once they’ve identified the solution, they then need to use their language to ask the right person for help by requesting ‘let’s ask Lucy for more track!’ SEN112 senmagazine.co.uk Language through play