Try not to anticipate your child's needs. If you always give them what they want without giving them the chance to ask for it first, they will learn that they don't need to speak.

Respond to your child's attempts to communicate
When your child draws your attention to something, show interest in it and name the item they are pointing to. When your child tries to name something, praise them and repeat it back to them, putting another word or two with it. For example: Child says: "Cat." Parent says: "Clever girl, cat, a black cat."

Make your child aware of the sounds around them
This helps to develop your child's listening skills. Say "Listen" as you point in the direction of the sound. Name the sounds for your child (e.g. phone ringing, clock ticking, water running, car horns beeping) and then make the sounds so that your child can listen to them again.

Have fun making sounds together
Encourage your child to copy the sounds you make and to make their own sounds while you are playing with them. The following sounds help develop your child's ability to have clear speech and they are lots of fun!
Animal sounds ("moo", "miaow", "wuff-wuff", "baa", "ssss", "quack-quack")
Transport sounds ("beep-beep", "vroom-vroom", "choo-choo")
Home sounds ("ring-ring", "sshh!", "tick-tock", "ding-dong", "splish-splash")

Spend at least 15 minutes 'special time' with your child every day
Turn off the telly and radio so that there are no distractions and sit facing your child on the floor, or sit them on your lap. Hold them close and gain their eye contact. Talk and sing to them. Play with them and the toys they enjoy the most.

Follow your child's lead
Observe what you child shows interest in and respond to this. Play with them using their favourite toys or talk to them about the things they are interested in.

Share books with your child from an early age
Your child is never too young to be introduced to books. Sit with your child on your lap and look through picture books together that contain bright photographs and pictures. Don't put any pressure on your child to name the pictures but if they are keen to imitate any of the words you say, smile and give them lots of praise for trying, and then say the word again for them.

Sing action songs and nursery rhymes
Do all the actions with your hands as you sing and say the words. This helps your child develop listening, imitation and turntaking skills as well as developing their speech and language.

Give a running commentary
Talk about what you and your child are doing throughout the day, such as when you're on the bus, out for a walk or in the supermarket. Try to reduce the amount of questions you ask your child. Instead tell them about things.

Get rid of the dummy
Dummies can cause problems with the development of your child's speech, the growth of their teeth as well as causing dribbling. If your child has a dummy or bottle, try to get rid of it by their first birthday. If you find it difficult to get rid of the dummy completely, limit your child's use of it to bed times only, weaning them off it slowly.

Model how words should be pronounced
Praise your child's attempts at sounds and words. It may take a few years before they can pronounce all words properly. They may leave out certain sounds or replace some sounds with ones they find easier to say. Rather than telling them they said a word "wrong", say the word back to them correctly, slowly and clearly, emphasising the sound they got wrong. For example, child says: "Gog." Parents says: "Yes, it's a dog."

Limit television time
Over exposure to TV affects your child's listening and attention skills. Constant background noise can make your child "switch off" from your voice [and distracts adults from giving talking and listening time to children]. When your child watches telly, try to sit with them and talk about what you're watching.

Tips written by Jessica Guerin, a speech and language therapist at Bilston & Ettingshall Sure Start.