Chatterbox
What are Chatterbox groups?
Chatterbox Groups are groups for Croydon families with children aged 4 years old and under who have concerns about their child’s talking or interaction. They are run by the Chatterbox team which includes the Speech and Language Therapy Team and Children’s Centres staff across the borough. The groups are designed to promote, encourage and support speech, language and communication development in pre-school aged children.
What happens at a Chatterbox group session?
Chatterbox groups have an emphasis on parents/carers playing and actively engaging with their child using strategies that are proven to enhance speech and language development. These interactions are supported by the Chatterbox team. At the Chatterbox session, there will be:
- Play opportunities for parents/carers and children to promote speech, language & communication development.
- Advice, tips and strategies from the Chatterbox team regarding how to support their child’s speech, language and communication skills.
- A snack time when the children share a healthy snack and drink. This is a great time to model language by offering children choices and parents/carer’s are actively encouraged to get involved!
- Time to share a book between parents/carers and their child: follow the child’s interests, talk about the pictures as well as the words.
- A structured time for a whole group story, song time and activities to help to develop the children’s attention and listening skills and engagement.
To get the most from Chatterbox groups parents/carers should:
- Arrive at the start of the session as advertised on the leaflet
- Give your child your full attention
- Not use your mobile phone at all during the session
- Make the most of the time available to play and engage with your child!
Telephone interpreting services are widely available for families whose first language is not English.
Further information can be found by visiting Croydon's Chatterbox webpage here:
You can also view the current timetable here;
