Communication Development

The content in this section has been produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and adapted from 'Much more than words | Manuka takoto, kawea ake'. If you would like to look at anything in more detail, this list of references might be a good starting point.

Communication skills are strongly linked to the development of reading and writing. The better a child's conversational skills now, the easier it will be for them to understand what they read later on.

Here is some information about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 5. Below are some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 5 years. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Here is some information about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 4. Below are some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 4 years. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Here is some information about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 3. Below are some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 3 years. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Here is some information about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 2. Below are some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 2 years. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Here is some information about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 18 months. Below are some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 18 months. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Here is some information about how children's communication skills usually develop by the age of 1. Below are some activity suggestions to encourage communication from 1 year. Use the language that you are most familiar and comfortable with.

Hearing is a critical part of a child's communication development so it's important to identify any loss as early as possible.

If your child is having difficulty with their voice, try to reduce situations where your child is yelling or talking over the top of noise. Encourage periods of quiet activities to give the voice a rest.

Stuttering is when people seem to get stuck on, or repeat, sounds when talking. Show your child that you are interested in what they say, not how they say it.

Communication is much more than words. Communication is the way we connect and interact with people. It is part of our identity and culture. It helps us to learn, interact with others and make friends.

Show your child that you are interested in what they say, not how they say it. Help your child learn how to say tricky sounds by repeating them correctly as naturally as possible.