Baby s First Word. Other material to help you

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1 School Resource Baby s First Word Baby s First Word is a Talk To Your Baby initiative to encourage people to think about early communication development and to understand the importance of talking and listening to babies from birth. Using the resources with young people will help them now and in the future in their roles as siblings, babysitters, carers and parents. Baby s First Word encourages discussion by asking young people to report on their own first word, or the first word of a sibling, relative or friend, and to explore the story behind it. Talk To Your Baby has produced this pack to engage schools in the Baby s First Word initiative. It can be used on its own, or as part of the School Resource Kit. This pack contains: 1. A hand-out for students introducing the Baby s First Word initiative 2. A poster promoting Baby s First Word 3. An information sheet for students on babies first words 4. A reporting-back form so you can easily share your words and stories with Talk To Your Baby About first words We know people are more likely to remember and share first cute words, rather than the first actual word spoken, but that s okay. The purpose of Baby s First Word is to promote the enjoyment of communicating with babies and to teach young people of the vital role they play in helping children learn to talk. For this reason we re particularly interested in the story behind the word, which often illustrates the influence of siblings. For example, a Baby s First Word project in south Wales reported one young girl s first words as being and me, as she tried to keep up with her older sisters. Many families report their baby s first word is their attempt to say the name of a much-loved older brother or sister. A chef reported that his daughter s first word was yum. Yum! Posy Simmonds Other material to help you Talk To Your Baby has created resources specifically for early years communication activities and has gathered relevant information and research from a range of sources. These are freely available from the Talk To Your Baby website site at and can be used to create additional teaching materials.

2 Making it happen Follow these steps to set up Baby s First Word in your school. Step one Invite students to report on their own first word (which may involve asking a family member), or the first word of a sibling, relative or friend, and to find out the story behind the word. Print the hand-out on the following page and have copies available for those keen to get involved and find out more than one first word. Print the poster using the photocopier to blow it up to A3 for added emphasis and pin it up in the classroom to highlight the project to students. Step two Once the students have collected their words and stories, create a Baby s First Word display. This can form the basis of classroom discussions about the importance of talking and listening to young children. The information sheet can be used to help explain the importance of interaction with babies and young children. Step three You might like to share the results with the rest of the school or to give out prizes for the most unusual or funniest words. Step four Share your words and stories with Talk To Your Baby, by using the reporting-back form. You can the form to talktoyourbaby@literacytrust.org.uk, fax it to or post it to Talk To Your Baby, 68 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1RL. Talk To Your Baby would like to highlight selected words and stories on our website, so before you send your form, please ask students for their permission to use their examples. We hope this pack contains everything you need to successfully run Baby s First Word in your school. If you have any queries or concerns, please don t hesitate to contact a member of the Talk To Your Baby team. Liz Attenborough Edward Mather Manager, Talk To your Baby Information and Communications Officer liz.attenborough@literacytrust.org.uk edward.mather@literacytrust.org.uk Tel: Tel: Baby s First Word was created in association with the Early Years Library Network, Bookstart and Youth Libraries Group. The initiative runs across schools, libraries and early years settings and encompasses parents, carers and young people. For more information go to.

3 Baby s First Word What was your first word? What was your brother s, sister s, friend s or neighbour s first word? Was it the name of an object, such as book or teddy, or was it the name of someone in the family? Baby s First Word is a project exploring first words and the stories behind them. You can decide whose first word you want to explore it could be your own, someone in your family, or a friend or neighbour. Use the form below to record the details, including the story behind the word. A first word may come from a favourite book or song, or from someone close to the baby; the objective is to find out what prompted the baby to take that first amazing step. It doesn t matter if the baby s first word was only intelligible to family members. It still counts. When babies say their first words, usually around 18 months, their speech is by no means perfect. The important thing is that after lots of one-to-one interaction, a baby has learned to use the right sounds to say something that someone else has understood. It s an amazing achievement that is well worth sharing. Find out a first word for your chosen baby, fill in the form below and the details will be added to our Baby s First Word display and included in our classroom discussions. Posy Simmonds Baby s name Baby s age (at time of first word) Baby s first word The story behind baby s first word

4 "Her first word was 'shoe', while looking at her first shoes in awe and wonder." Eliza's mother Meow! Where would we be without words? Every baby s first word is a special moment to celebrate. Lorraine Kelly Baby s First Word A child s first word is a significant milestone. After lots of one-to-one interaction, and practice with sounds and mouth movements, a baby has learned to use the right sounds to say something. It s an amazing achievement, helped by the encouragement of those around them. Discover a baby s first word Find out a baby s first word, discover the story behind it and share the details with your classmates. Bunny! Illustrations by Posy Simmonds

5 Baby s first word Most babies say their first words between 12 and 18 months, usually the names of people or things they know well. A child s first word is a significant milestone. After lots of one-to-one interaction, and practice with sounds and mouth movements, a baby has learned to use the right sounds to say something. Of course, her speech isn t perfect yet. A parent, brother or sister may be the only person who understands her first words. But over time, with lots of interaction and good examples of talk, a child s speech will become clearer. The best way to help a child learn to talk is to give her lots of opportunities to play with you, sing songs, share stories and talk with you one to one. Listening is vital too give babies and toddlers time to respond to you. With lots of interaction, a child will learn to communicate effectively. Young people have an important role to play in helping children to talk and develop communication skills. By the time a baby utters her first word, she can understand much more than she can say. A baby communicates from birth, using gestures, expressive babbling and facial expressions to get her point across. A child will continue to use these tried and tested techniques while she comes to grips with language. It is important not to be impatient for more words at this stage, and not to ask her to imitate words. If she says something incorrectly, say it back the right way. For example, if she says Gog, you could say, That s right, it s a dog. Tips to encourage first words: Illustrations by Posy Simmonds Get on the floor, and play face to face. Point at and name familiar things. When you think you ve heard a word, assume that you have and repeat it. Say what you re doing, in simple phrases, Rolling the ball to Sam, Shutting the door. Use gesture when you name things, like food and drinks. Say the name of the dog or the cat when you stroke them. Listen out when you re reading your books aloud. The first words might include monkey or roar!

6 Baby s First Word School reporting-back form Please use this form to share a selection of first words and their stories with Talk To Your Baby. You can the form to talktoyourbaby@literacytrust.org.uk, fax it to or post it to Talk To Your Baby, Swire House, 68 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1RL. We would like to highlight selected words and stories on our website, so before you send your form, please ask students for their permission to use their examples. Many thanks. Name of school Name of BFW organiser Address Tel. Baby s name Baby s first word Story behind the word Baby s name Baby s first word Story behind the word Baby s name Baby s first word Story behind the word Baby s name Baby s first word Story behind the word _ The most common word to date is How many students have taken part? Any feedback or comments?