Your little one’s first day of school is just around the corner, isn’t it? While you’re organising uniforms and lunchboxes, there’s something even more important to think about: your child’s communication skills.
These skills are not just nice to have. They are the foundation for how your child gets on in the classroom.
Why school communication skills are different
What many parents don’t realise is that the communication skills children need for school go well beyond “just talking”.
Sure, your four-year-old may never stop talking at home, but can they follow multi-step instructions in a line with twenty other kids and teachers there too? Can they express their needs clearly?
School communication skills are ones many parents never think about. Your child has to understand language in entirely new contexts, listen when they’re not interested, express themselves when they’re shy and process information while emotionally engaged.
“Go find your shoes” is easy at home. At school, “Please collect your reading folder from the blue tub” means remembering several pieces of information, knowing colours and understanding a spatial concept, as well as being able to complete a task independently. And then there are the social communication skills—how to greet teachers properly, ask for help, and navigate friendships on the playground.
The foundation: early language development
Early language development is crucial for school success. Children who start school with weak language skills are at a disadvantage, however bright they are, because they can’t yet communicate what they know.
Research shows the developing brain learns more in the first five years of life than at any other time, and that early language development (or lack thereof) has a direct impact on later reading skills. Consider it this way: reading, writing, mathematics, science – every single subject depends on language.
If a child can’t understand complex sentences or has a limited vocabulary, they can struggle across every subject. That’s why our speech pathology assessments look at much more than how clearly your child says their sounds.
Vocabulary: the building blocks
Children start school with a large spoken vocabulary, often thousands of words. This includes not only everyday words like “cat” and “ball”, but also concept words like “different”, “between”, “before” and “because”.
Teachers use these words every day, so children who don’t know them yet can quickly fall behind.
We teach children what words mean and how to use them in different situations. For example, that “big” and “large” mean the same thing, that “running” can become “ran”, and that some words have more than one meaning.
Speech sounds: more than clear talking
When people think about getting a child’s speech ready for kindy, they often focus only on pronunciation. While it's true that your child needs to be understood by their teacher and classmates, speech sound development involves so much more than just clear pronunciation.
Children need to understand the sound system of English to become successful readers and writers. They need several key phonological skills:
- Understanding that words are made up of different sounds
- Knowing that sounds can be manipulated and changed
- Recognising that letters represent sounds
- Hearing differences between similar sounds ("cat" vs "bat")
- Breaking words down into component sounds
Here's where many parents get confused: they think speech and reading are separate skills. They're not. A child who struggles to hear differences between sounds will find it much harder to learn to read.
We use the Sounds-Write phonics program to build exactly these links, helping children develop the phonological awareness they need for reading while also working on clear speech.
Understanding language structure
This is where things get really interesting. Your child might be able to tell you all about their favourite TV show, but can they understand when their teacher says, "After you finish your morning work and before you line up for lunch, please put your pencil in the red basket"? That sentence contains several clauses and time concepts in one instruction.
Children entering school need to master several key grammar concepts:
- Understanding word order changes meaning ("The cat chased the dog" vs "The dog chased the cat")
- Processing temporal concepts like "before", "after", and "while"
- Managing multiple clauses in single instructions
- Recognising conditional language ("if", "when", "unless")
This is where our individual therapy plans really make a difference. We work with children to gradually build their understanding of complex language structures, starting with simple two-step instructions and working up to the multi-step, conditional instructions they'll hear in the classroom.
We also focus on helping children express themselves clearly and completely. It's not enough for a child to say, "I need help." They need to be able to say, "I need help with my writing because I don't know how to spell this word."
Social communication: the hidden curriculum
Here's what no one tells you about school: there's a whole social curriculum that your child needs to master alongside academics. They need to understand how to interact appropriately with teachers versus peers, ask for help without being demanding, and navigate group activities successfully.
Social communication skills are incredibly nuanced. Your child needs to master several key areas:
- Understanding non-verbal cues like facial expressions and body language
- Taking turns in conversation and staying on topic
- Adjusting communication style depending on the situation
- Reading social context (formal classroom vs playground interactions)
- Managing group dynamics and peer relationships
These skills are particularly challenging for children with autism or those who process social information differently. Building joint attention is a fundamental skill that supports both communication and social development, something that's essential for classroom participation.
Our social skills support recognises that every child learns differently. We work one-on-one and in small groups to practise real-life situations through role-playing, group discussions, and understanding social nuances, like when someone is joking versus being serious.
AAC: supporting all learners
For some children, spoken words won’t be their main way to communicate, and that’s fine. Many children benefit greatly from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), such as photos, symbols, signing or communication devices.
Using approaches such as Key Word Sign and aided language stimulation, we help children communicate what they need, want and think, even when speech is hard.
We also collaborate closely with schools so that teachers will understand and be able to support your child’s use of the communication system.
Without the right support, many children can’t show what they know or ask for what they need. AAC helps remove these barriers so children can take part in classroom activities.
Building literacy skills
Reading and writing aren’t just subjects. They are forms of communication that rely on all the skills above. Children who start school with good phonological awareness, vocabulary and language understanding are well on their way to becoming successful readers.
Our literacy support is not just about letter recognition or phonics. We focus on comprehension skills, building a narrative and the ability to talk about books and stories. We teach kids that reading is about meaning — not just drilling the sounds of letters.
One of the strongest predictors for how children will fare in school is whether they can understand story structure. Can your child retell a story, telling you what happened at the beginning, middle and end?
Can they predict what might happen next? These same narrative abilities apply directly to reading comprehension, writing skills, and even subjects like history or science.
When to seek support
How do you know if your child needs extra support with communication skills before school? Here are some indicators that suggest a comprehensive assessment might be helpful:
- Limited vocabulary compared to peers
- Difficulty following multi-step instructions
- Struggles with social interactions
- Poor listening skills in group situations
- Difficulty expressing needs clearly
- Limited interest in books or stories
- Challenges with rhyming or sound awareness
The good news is that early intervention works. Children who get communication support before starting school often catch up and do well.
Parents can make better decisions regarding their child's communication development if they understand the value of early intervention.
At CommuniKids, our assessments cover every part of a child’s communication: speech sounds, language understanding and use, social communication, and emergent literacy.
We look at how these skills fit together and what your child will need for school, and we involve you throughout, because your input is essential.
Bridging home and school
One of the hardest things for children to learn is that communicating at school is different from communicating at home. Children who speak another language at home may also need support with switching between languages.
This is where teamwork really helps. We work with children, parents and carers, and teachers and school staff to develop common communication expectations and approaches. We support the bridge between home and school so that children are confident in expressing themselves in both places.
We work with classroom teachers to support children with communication needs, and with families to build language-rich homes. One powerful strategy we teach parents is to follow a child’s lead in order to have fun, positive language experiences at home.
Telehealth
Sometimes, accessing speech therapy services can be challenging due to location, scheduling, or other factors. That's why we offer telehealth services that bring expert support directly to your home. Telehealth can be especially helpful because we can see and support your child’s communication in their own environment.
Our mobile services also mean we can work directly with daycare centres and schools to support children's learning environments.
Getting started
If you are worried about your child's communication development, now is the perfect time to act. Communication skills take time to develop, so it helps to start early. An assessment gives you useful information and recommendations for supporting your child’s development.
Getting started is simple. Contact our team at CommuniKids to discuss your concerns and learn more about how we can support your child's communication development. Our passionate team of speech pathologists is ready to help your child become the confident communicator they're meant to be.
Remember, investing in your child's communication skills isn't just about school readiness – it's about giving them the tools they need for lifelong success. Strong communication skills will serve them well in friendships, future relationships, and their eventual career. It's one of the best gifts you can give your child.
Your child's school journey is just beginning, and with the right communication foundation, it can be an incredibly successful and rewarding experience for your entire family. Let's work together to give them the best possible start.
How we can help: Language →