Expressive language refers to how a child uses words, sentences, and narrative skills to communicate ideas. Difficulties can appear as trouble finding the right words, forming sentences, or expressing themselves clearly.

Why Expressive Language Matters

1. It allows children to express their needs, ideas, and feelings
   • Ask for help
   • Share thoughts
   • Explain what is wrong
   • Express emotions appropriately

   Without it, children may rely on behaviour such as frustration or withdrawal instead of words.

2. It supports learning across the curriculum
   • Answer questions
   • Explain reasoning in maths
   • Describe events in literacy
   • Share ideas during discussions

   When children cannot express what they know, it can appear as if they do not understand even when they do.

3. It builds social skills and relationships
   • Make friends
   • Join in play
   • Negotiate and take turns
   • Resolve conflicts
4. It strengthens thinking and problem solving
   • Organise ideas
   • Reflect on choices
   • Plan ahead
   • Make connections in learning

   Language and thinking develop together.

5. It supports reading and writing development
   • Vocabulary knowledge
   • Sentence structure
   • Storytelling skills
6. It boosts confidence and independence
   • Participate in class
   • Take risks in learning
   • Feel understood by adults and peers

Listening and attention refer to a child’s ability to hear, focus, and process what is being said, and to maintain that focus long enough to understand and respond.

Listening includes

• Hearing and understanding spoken language
• Taking in information from instructions, stories, or conversations
• Interpreting meaning from tone, words, and context

Attention includes

• Maintaining focus on a task, activity, or speaker
• Shifting attention when needed
• Ignoring distractions to concentrate

Why Listening and Attention Matter

1. They are the basis for learning
   • Understand instructions
   • Learn new vocabulary
   • Follow lessons
   • Take part in classroom discussions
2. They support clear communication
   • Understand what others say
   • Take turns in conversation
   • Respond appropriately
   • Stay on topic
3. They build social skills and relationships
   • Understand how others feel
   • Join in play
   • Make and keep friends
   • Resolve disagreements
4. They help with behaviour and emotional regulation
   • Understand expectations
   • Cope with changes
   • Manage feelings
   • Ask for help before becoming frustrated
5. They prepare children for independence
   • Follow multi step tasks
   • Complete work independently
   • Stay organised
   • Solve problems independently

Speech sounds are the individual sounds we make with our mouths when we speak. They are the building blocks of spoken words.

Speech sounds are created by moving the lips, tongue, teeth, and voice box in different ways.

Why Speech Sounds Matter

• Pronounce words clearly
• Be understood by others
• Develop reading and spelling skills

This refers to a child’s ability to understand, use, and express words that help them describe feelings, explain needs, resolve conflicts, and manage behaviour appropriately.

Why It Matters

• Recognise and name feelings
• Explain what is wrong or needed
• Ask for help appropriately
• Solve social problems calmly
• Use words instead of behaviours such as hitting or shouting

This refers to a child’s ability to use language, gestures, and social behaviours to communicate and build relationships.

It includes

• Using words, gestures, eye contact, and body language
• Starting and maintaining conversations
• Taking turns when speaking
• Understanding jokes, sarcasm, and tone of voice
• Recognising personal space and social rules
• Playing cooperatively and resolving conflicts

Why It Matters

• Make friends
• Understand classroom routines
• Work in groups
• Express needs appropriately
• Navigate social situations confidently

Receptive language is a child’s ability to understand the language they hear or read. It includes understanding vocabulary, grammar, questions, instructions, stories, and tone of voice.

Why Receptive Language Matters

1. It underpins learning in all subjects
2. It supports social understanding
3. It is essential for following instructions
4. It helps with behaviour and emotional regulation
5. It forms the foundation for expressive language
6. It affects reading comprehension

Executive functioning refers to mental skills that help children plan, organise, focus, remember information, and manage behaviour. These skills act like an air traffic control system in the brain.

It includes

• Working memory
• Inhibitory control
• Cognitive flexibility
• Planning and organisation
• Emotional regulation

Why Executive Functioning Matters

1. Supports learning in all subjects
2. Helps with behaviour and self control
3. Supports social skills
4. Builds independence
5. Prepares children for future learning

Phonological awareness is a child’s ability to hear, recognise, and play with the sounds in spoken language without looking at written letters.

It includes

• Hearing rhymes
• Clapping syllables
• Identifying first sounds
• Blending sounds
• Segmenting words
• Manipulating sounds

Why Phonological Awareness Matters

1. It is one of the strongest predictors of reading success
2. It helps children learn phonics more easily
3. It supports vocabulary and speech development
4. It builds confidence around words
5. Early weaknesses can signal later reading difficulties