Today Date Triggered Content

First smiles, first babbles, first words... they’re all exciting milestones because you get to see your baby or child communicate. You know that those early smiles, coos and babbles are times of connection and so won’t be surprised that learning to talk is about much more than first words.  

We’ve put a round up of all our articles about talk and communication at the bottom of your Today screen. We’ll leave them there for a while, so you have lots of time to read them. And we thought for this weekend’s play ideas, we’d focus on supporting your little one’s communication.  

Your ‘Discover more...’ section has a range of articles linked to the skills your child is developing now – so you can always find the information you need. You’ve told us sometimes you’d like to understand what's coming next so we’re going to be sharing themed articles all in one place.   

This time we’ve put together key articles about speech, language and communication development – from supporting babies' first sounds to learning to talk and encouraging conversation.   

If you’re looking for inspiration, our gift guide is full of toys and gifts we recommend. Share it with friends and family to make sure your child gets gifts they, and you, will be thrilled to open.

Becoming a parent brings big changes in your life, and working out how to adapt takes everyone a bit of time. But having the right support around you can make a difference, whether that’s friends and family or a workplace culture which supports parents.  

On 6th November, the Fawcett Society and Total Jobs published research into the experiences of new mothers as they returned to work following maternity leave. The study found many face difficulties at this time.^[1]  

Waiting for the Christmas ads has become an annual event in itself, and this year’s from John Lewis is all about traditions. We aren’t suggesting you run out to find a giant venus flytrap (if you’ve seen it, you’ll know what we mean!) but it’s a reminder that you can make your own traditions – and break those which don’t bring you joy.  

Think about your experience of traditions as you approach the festive season. If they fill you with dread, it’s time to take a step back and review them.  

Lots of what we see about learning to read focuses on phonics – and this is important. But enjoying books is the key to a lifetime of reading, and unlocking a vast array of ideas and knowledge.

Parents who look at books with their children are described as transforming attitudes to reading.^[1] Much of that transformation is connected to the warm, positive emotions of cuddling up together to enjoy a story.  

Love them or loathe them you probably can’t avoid fireworks at this time of year. So we thought we’d give you a few firework-inspired play ideas this week to make the most of firework season.  

The first thing to think about is how a new experience, like seeing fireworks, can inspire conversation. If you missed yesterday’s article about using bonfire night to encourage talk, you’ll find the link at the bottom of this article.  

Talking about your experiences and memories is not only good for your child’s cognitive development – but has also been shown to be good for their mental health and emotional wellbeing into their teenaged years. Here’s how to use shared memories, like seeing fireworks, to help them develop these skills. 

A long-running study^[1] of 115 mothers and their toddlers, which began 14 years ago, found that children who talked about experiences in more detail had greater social and emotional skills than those who didn't.  

If you’re wondering how to keep your little one entertained during these longer evenings, we’ve got some ideas for you.  

As always, we’ve separated our ideas into baby, toddler and child – have a look and pick the things you know your child will love. Each of these ideas could be adapted according to your child’s skills – even tummy time, which can be a great way of developing core strength for toddlers and children as well as babies.  

According to Statista the average annual spend on toys in the United Kingdom in 2019 was £299.^[1] When taking into account gifts as well as toys bought by members of the household, another survey suggested the average spend per child per year was £750.^[2] If you’re thinking about spending a bit less this year, or just want to get good quality toys for your child, read on.  

The Toys That Inspire Mindful Play and Nurture Imagination (TIMPANI) study was a research study that took place from 2010 until 2019 in America.