Wiltshire Council launches county-wide campaign to boost early language development

Wiltshire Council is asking parents to talk and play every day with their children to help boost language skills as part of a county-wide campaign.

In partnership with BBC Tiny Happy People the council is sharing helpful advice and support to help families with early language development from pregnancy to age five. 

The campaign encourages parents and carers to use simple, everyday activities both at home and while out and about, to help their children thrive. 

There are five simple actions from the child’s viewpoint: 

• Tune into me and follow my lead 

• Chat with me throughout the day 

• I love books, songs and rhymes any time 

• Copy my sounds and words, and add a bit more 

• Start talking to me before I’m born 

Early language development is vital to a child’s overall wellbeing. It helps children manage emotions, to build relationships as well as learning to read and write - all of which influence education, employment, and mental health. 

By age three, children from disadvantaged backgrounds can be up to 18 months behind their peers in language development.   

In Wiltshire, 69% of young children achieve a good level of development at the end of reception, compared to 68% nationally, according to 2023-24 figures; however, there are still gaps between children in the most and least deprived areas. Nationally, up to 50% of children in some areas, start school with Speech, Language, and Communication (SLC) needs.

The impact can be long-lasting: 

• Children with poor language skills at age five are four times more likely to struggle with reading in adulthood. 

• They are three times more likely to experience mental health issues later in life. 

• They face twice the risk of unemployment by age 34. 

The Wiltshire Talk and Play Every Day campaign aims to close these gaps by embedding a consistent, county-wide approach. Families can find BBC Tiny Happy People resources across Wiltshire, including Family Hubs, Maternity Services, libraries and leisure centres as well as online.  Staff working with pregnant families and children under five will be promoting BBC Tiny Happy People’s free resources, which include videos, tips, and activity ideas. While parents and carers play a key role, this is also a whole-community effort as every adult interaction matters. 

Molly Summersgill-Smith is a parent with an 18-month-old daughter. She explained BBC Tiny Happy People has been a valuable resource:  

“There is lots of advice on BBC Tiny Happy People, but I mostly used it for activity suggestions when my daughter started walking.  The website is very easy to use, I love that it is broken down into age stages; it makes it very easy to find your way around.  I’ve recommended it to other people as its great if you are at home and you don’t know what to do. BBC Tiny Happy People taught me how to fill my daughter’s day with activities for her age that she loved and that we enjoyed together; it brought the fun into our home. “ 

Staff working with pregnant families and children under five will be promoting BBC Tiny Happy People’s free resources, which include videos, tips, and activity ideas.

Kate Blackburn, Director of Public Health for Wiltshire, said:  “Communication is a fundamental life skill for children and if we get it right early on and support families with initiatives like Wiltshire Talk and Play Everyday and BBC Tiny Happy People, then we can really make a difference to the futures of our children now and when they reach adulthood. This campaign is a call to action for everyone in Wiltshire because supporting children’s communication is everyone’s business.”