Language games for children: building vocabulary, storytelling and listening through play

It means the ability to pay attention to the sound of words rather than just their meaning: clapping syllables, recognising rhymes, picking out the first sound of a word. Syllables and rhymes often come as early as age 4 to 6, individual sounds usually only when children learn to read. Research regards it as an important predictor of reading and spelling; in studies, targeted practice improved both, most effectively in combination with letters. But it is only one building block.

Several. Rory's Story Cubes and Dobble, both recommended from age 6, work with pictures that are named or linked into stories. Bananagrams, Speedy Words, Scrabble Original and the classic Pass the Bomb, on the other hand, require knowledge of letters.

Ideally in the language in which you yourself feel most comfortable. Several languages do not confuse children or cause language delays; mixing words from both languages is part of learning. Specialist advice services emphasise that warmth and good language role models in the first language are the best basis for learning a second language. Games with pictures instead of text, such as Rory's Story Cubes, Dixit or Dobble, can be played in any family language, and you tell stories in your own language anyway.

Games create opportunities to talk, but they are no substitute for an assessment. If you have the impression that your child speaks much less than other children of the same age or is much harder to understand, talk to your child's doctor. The earlier difficulties are recognised, the better a child can be supported. Unclear pronunciation can also be caused by hearing problems. When playing, do not correct mistakes by making your child say it again correctly; instead, casually repeat what they said in the correct form, and do not push your child to talk.