• Evidence consistently shows that communication and language approaches benefit young children’s learning.
• Using multiple approaches will support the development of children’s communication and language.

There are many activities that expose children to rich vocabulary and language such as reading books and pretend play. These activities are important but how the adult engages with the child during these activities is key. The quality of language heard and used by the child during an activity can be enhanced by the adult using approaches and practices to further the learning opportunity.

Communication and language approaches involve intentionally acting to develop young children’s understanding of language and their ability and confidence to use language, and other strategies, to communicate effectively. They are based on the idea that children’s language development benefits from approaches that support communication through talking and non-verbal expression.

Communication and language approaches in the early years can be grouped and include:

Approaches that support the linguisticConnected to language or the study of language aspects of communication through:

• teaching and modelling vocabulary; and
• teaching and modelling language.

Approaches that simultaneously support both cognitiveConnected to thinking or conscious mental processes and linguisticConnected to language or the study of language aspects of communication through:

• interactive reading; and
• teaching through collaborative talk. 

Approaches that support the physical aspects of communication through:

• teaching and modelling social communication skills.

Overall, studies of communication and language approaches consistently show benefits for young children’s learning. This finding is based on multiple systematic reviewsResearchers summarise all of the research on a particular topic, which meets pre-defined eligibility criteria, in order to answer a specific research question. This gives an objective overview of the evidence for a particular topic or research question. The methods used must be reproducible and transparent., meta-analyses and randomised controlled trialsA study in which schools/​pupils/​teachers are randomly assigned to two (or more) groups to test a specific approach or programme. This is the widely considered a rigorous methodology as the randomization process helps avoid bias.. These approaches can have a positive impact on various aspects of language and communication, including children’s spoken language skills and comprehension. All children appear to benefit, but some studies suggest that it is particularly important to use these approaches with children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, who often start with early years providers at an earlier stage in their language development.

Some communication and language approaches, such as interactive reading, have a particularly strong body of evidence to support them. Other areas, such as collaborative talk, show promise but are currently under-researched in the early years. Many successful interventionsWe recognise that in early years settings ​‘intervention’ might refer to activities that aim to enhance children’s progress. In the evidence base, intervention is used more broadly to represent the different conditions in the experiment that are being tested. involve multiple approaches and practices, for instance combing explicitClear and exact, expressed directly teaching of vocabulary with interactive book reading; the NELI programme combines approaches in this way. Settings should consider using a range of different approaches to develop communication and language skills, as it is unlikely that one approach alone is enough to secure progress. Using multiple approaches will support children to develop in the different areas that work together to underpin effective communication and language.

If a child is experiencing difficulties with communication and language, practitioners should also consider other factors that may be affecting development in this area. Each child should be considered as an individual, and challenges in another area – such as self-regulation – may have an impact on learning. Where practitioners are unsure of how best to support a child or suspect that a child is not meeting developmental norms, it may be best to seek help from a speech and language therapist. A therapist will be able to provide more specialist support. Even after referral, it is important that practitioners continue to support children experiencing difficulties as best they can alongside any specialist input.