A Staffordshire mum-of-two is setting up language groups  aimed at finding fun ways to develop speech and communication skills in pre-school youngsters after being unable to find anything similar in the county.

Small Talk Language Groups are the brainchild of Libby Hill, a Uttoxeter-based speech and language therapist who was concerned that there is nothing of its kind available to local parents at a time when studies have shown our childrens’ communication skills are falling*.

The groups will use things like pretend play, story-telling and magic carpets to Language Land** to help three and four-year-olds build and improve skills essential to starting school.

They will be run by qualified language experts, and similar to other pre-school groups, with the emphasis on learning through fun and play, though uniquely centred on language.

“We recognised the need for such a group after one of my team with a young son had looked around in vain for a session to take him to that was language-centred,” explained Mrs Hill.

“Whilst parents have a choice of music and exercise sessions, we were amazed that none of the groups  we found focus on language and communication, and the vital skills youngsters need.

“We are all hard-wired to learn language, but recent studies have shown that there are increasingly high numbers of children at school who do not have the correct levels of speech and language skills.

“When they get to school, children need to be competent at a number of things to communicate effectively, such as having good attention levels, and the ability to listen and follow instructions. Our sessions will help develop these.

“Our group is designed for all children – whether you think your child has problems, or is a wonderful communicator – they can always improve their skills, and being able to communicate well is a fantastic confidence builder.
“The sessions last around 40 minutes, and our experts use puppets, games, songs, a magic carpet, stories and pretend play to make them as much fun as possible.

“We also aim to involve parents as much as possible, and hopefully give them ideas of ways they can further help their children at home."