Help to teach Guernsey children speech skills before school

The booklets are aimed at parents and carers of those under five

Children in the Bailiwick of Guernsey are starting primary school without the skills to be able to speak confidently.

The States said learning to talk was one of the most important skills children develop.

But it said more and more youngsters were starting school without meeting key early years speech development milestones.

To tackle the problem, the government has developed a series of booklets as part of its Language for Life campaign.

They are aimed at parents and carers of those under five and contain advice about how many words a child should understand by what age.

For example, two-year-olds should be understood "at least half the time", while a milestone might be "I can say sentences of 2-3 words".

Zara Betts, the States' specialist early years advisory speech and language therapist, said the campaign will help children "reach their full potential".

"When children start school with good communication skills, they are able to share their thoughts and ideas and understand what is being asked of them," she said.

"This allows them to develop into happy and confident individuals. However, across the UK and the Bailiwick more and more children are starting school without these skills.

The booklets are available on the States website.