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Communication & Language
EYFS/Early Years Activities, Provision, Planning, Displays & Ideas
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Top Pick Free Sample ‘Communication and Language’ Resources
What do we mean by ‘Communication and Language’?
Featured EYFS Communication & Language planning resources
Examples of how to support ‘Communication & Language’ learning and development
Birth to 3
3 and 4 Year Olds
Reception
Age-Specific Documents for Supporting ‘Communication & Language’
Babies | Birth - 18 Months
Toddlers | 18 - 36 Months
Preschool | 3 - 4 Years
Reception | 4 - 5 Years
EYFS | Birth - 5
Search our ‘Communication & Language’ Printable Provision Resources by:
Keywords and phrases
Topic
Free EYFS ‘Communication & Language’ Printable Resources
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What do we mean by ‘Communication and Language’?
“The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children's language effectively. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.” Development Matters
Featured EYFS Communication & Language planning resources
A practical language tool supporting high-quality adult interaction, reasoning and reflection in Reception.
Bank of theme-based high-impact questions & vocabulary for use within Reception provision.
A professional guidance document explaining how intentional adult interaction supports learning, application and inclusion within child-initiated play in Reception.
Progression map and adult initiated opportunity bank to strengthen toddler language through high-quality interactions.
A parent-friendly guidance pack supporting early speech and language through everyday interaction.
A practitioner guidance poster supporting vocabulary, self-regulation and sustained shared thinking
A practical progression tool supporting listening, understanding, vocabulary and conversation through play-based EYFS practice.
Examples of how to support ‘Communication & Language’ learning and development
Extracted from Development Matters; non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage. Includes colour and black and white versions.
Files contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Age-Specific Documents for Supporting ‘Communication & Language’
Babies | Birth - 18 Months
Core Baby Room ‘Communication & Language’ Planning Support
A parent-facing guidance document supporting consistency, wellbeing and early communication from birth.
Additional Baby Room Overarching Areas of Learning Support
The following documents include elements of ‘Communication & Language’ which may be helpful tools within your setting’s OAP Cycle.
A professional guidance document supporting inclusive, developmentally appropriate EYFS practice in baby rooms.
A professional guidance document supporting confident, developmentally appropriate SEND practice in baby rooms.
Toddlers | 18 - 36 Months
Core Toddler Room ‘Communication & Language’ Planning Support
A professional guidance document supporting confident language-first EYFS practice in toddler rooms.
Progression map and adult initiated opportunity bank to strengthen toddler language through high-quality interactions.
Additional Toddler Room Overarching Areas of Learning Support
The following documents include elements of ‘Communication & Language’ which may be helpful tools within your setting’s OAP Cycle.
A practical set of strength-based documents to support secure, consistent transitions from 18–36 month provision into the 3–4 year room.
Quick guidance and practical tools for supporting toddlers (18–36 months) in everyday provision.
A statutory-compliant, practitioner-friendly toolkit supporting meaningful assessment and parent partnership.
Professional guidance + printable activity cards for play-based, responsive toddler practice. A practical, practitioner-friendly pack of play invitations and interaction prompts to strengthen language, independence, movement and problem-solving in toddler rooms.
A flexible, developmentally informed overview of optional project themes across the toddler year.
A practitioner-facing reference supporting intentional, developmentally appropriate toddler practice across key strands.
A practitioner-facing reference supporting intentional, developmentally appropriate toddler practice across key strands.
A developmentally informed curriculum overview supporting intentional, child-led toddler practice.
Preschool | 3 - 4 Years
Core Preschool ‘Communication & Language’ Planning Support
A practitioner guidance poster supporting vocabulary, self-regulation and sustained shared thinking
A practical progression tool supporting listening, understanding, vocabulary and conversation through play-based EYFS practice.
Additional Preschool Overarching Areas of Learning Support
The following documents include elements of ‘Communication & Language’ which may be helpful tools within your setting’s OAP Cycle.
A comprehensive, strength-based transition toolkit supporting children, families and schools.
A professional reporting toolkit supporting meaningful communication with families and smooth transition to school.
A strength-based progress review supporting meaningful partnership with families in preschool.
A practical professional toolkit supporting responsive EYFS practice without over-planning.
Audit, mapping and reflective tools for high-quality EYFS provision - A practical curriculum and pedagogy document for Preschool (3–4 Years)
The pack provides detailed guidance for every core Preschool learning zone, including:
~ Construction ~ Small World ~ Role-Play ~ Writing & Mark-Making ~ Maths ~ Creative / Art ~ Investigation / STEM ~ Book Corner / Reading Den ~ Fine Motor Station ~ Water and Sand ~ Outdoor Core Zones (physical play, nature, maths, mark-making, mud kitchen) ~ Snack Area / Independence Station ~
A strengths-led overview supporting observation, reflection and meaningful next steps in a play-based EYFS environment.
Reception | 4 - 5 Years
Core Reception ‘Communication & Language’ Planning Support
A practical language tool supporting high-quality adult interaction, reasoning and reflection in Reception.
Bank of theme-based high-impact questions & vocabulary for use within Reception provision.
A professional guidance document explaining how intentional adult interaction supports learning, application and inclusion within child-initiated play in Reception.
Additional Reception Overarching Areas of Learning Support
The following documents include elements of ‘Communication & Language’ which may be helpful tools within your setting’s OAP Cycle.
A professional guidance document explaining how intentional adult interaction supports learning, application and inclusion within child-initiated play in Reception.
A professional guidance document outlining the purpose, structure and pedagogy of outdoor continuous provision in Reception.
A comprehensive set of professional guidance documents supporting high-quality, purposeful continuous provision across all key areas of the Reception environment.
A professional guidance document outlining how continuous provision is designed, structured and used to support learning, progression and independence in Reception.
A professional guidance document clarifying statutory RBA expectations while protecting high-quality, play-based Reception practice.
A structured, phase-based approach to medium-term curriculum planning in Reception, supporting progression, depth and developmentally appropriate practice across the year.
A comprehensive professional toolkit outlining learning progression across the Reception year, aligned with the EYFS framework and EYFSP expectations.
A parent-friendly guidance pack that explains how children learn in Reception (4–5), what to expect day to day, and how families can support learning at home without pressure.
A leadership and practice pack that sets out how to plan a developmentally appropriate transition from Reception into Year 1, protecting EYFS pedagogy while building continuity into KS1.
EYFS | Birth - 5
Core EYFS Birth-5 ‘Communication & Language’ Planning Support
A parent-friendly guidance pack supporting early speech and language through everyday interaction.
Additional EYFS Birth-5 Overarching Areas of Learning Support
The following documents include elements of ‘Communication & Language’ which may be helpful tools within your setting’s OAP Cycle.
A cohesive, high-level overview of learning and development from birth to the end of the EYFS.
Our curriculum is designed to support high-quality Early Years practice by providing practitioners with clear, developmentally appropriate guidance and flexible, responsive planning tools from birth to five.
For overarching ‘Area of Learning’ Support such as Curriculum Intent Grids, Development Indicators and Assessment Tools, please visit our ‘Observations & Assessment’ page.
Printable Provision Resources
Search our ‘Communication & Language’ printable provision resources below.
Key Words & Phrases:
Listening - Sounds & Musical Instruments
Understanding & Speech - Simple & Complex Sentences
Understanding & Speech - Questions
Understanding & Speech - Follow stories without pictures
Understanding & Speech - Tenses
Understanding & Speech - Intonation, Rhythm & Phrasing
Understanding & Speech - Sharing Feelings, Thoughts & Experiences
(Any text without a link indicates that we are working on this area.)
English as an additional language
Speaking more than one language has lots of advantages for children. It is the norm in many countries around the world. Children will learn English from a strong foundation in their home language. It is important for you to encourage families to use their home language for linguistic as well as cultural reasons. Children learning English will typically go through a quiet phase when they do not say very much and may then use words in both languages in the same sentence. Talk to parents about what language they speak at home, try and learn a few key words and celebrate multilingualism in your setting. Development Matters
EYFS Framework / Planning / Assessment / Outdoor Area / Growth Mindset / Picture Communication / Signs and Labels / Self Registration / Posters and Displays
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Additional ‘Communication & Language’ Tools & Guidance
When considering the support you provide for the learning and development of ‘Communication and Language’ within your setting, you may find resources on the following pages useful.
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
