Growing Social Communication Through Play

A practical guide to helping children build social communication through play. Learn simple ways to support turn-taking, shared attention, and connection in everyday interactions.
By Yasmin Akhtar, Speech & Language Therapist

Play is one of the most powerful ways children learn to connect, communicate, and build early social skills. If your child finds it hard to take turns, share attention, join in with others, or use communication meaningfully during play, Growing Social Communication Through Play is a practical parent guide designed to help.

Created by a Speech and Language Therapist, this downloadable PDF explains how social communication develops through playful, everyday interactions and why shared play is such an important foundation for language, connection, and confidence. It looks at the early skills that sit underneath social communication, including attention, turn-taking, shared enjoyment, imitation, understanding simple routines, and learning how to read and respond to another person.

Inside, you’ll find practical ways to support your child through play without pressure or complicated activities. The guide explores how to create more back-and-forth interaction, how to join your child at their level, and how to build social communication through routines, action games, pretend play, books, and simple everyday moments. It also helps you understand why some children find social communication harder and how to support these skills in a calm, responsive way.

This guide includes:

• A parent-friendly explanation of social communication and why it matters
• Help understanding the early play skills that support interaction and language
• Practical ideas to build turn-taking, shared attention, and back-and-forth communication
• Strategies for using play to support connection, confidence, and language growth
• Support for children who find it hard to join in, imitate, or stay engaged with others
• Everyday play ideas you can use at home straight away

Ideal for parents of toddlers and young children who need support with interaction, connection, and early social communication, this guide will help you feel clearer about how to use play to build communication naturally. Warm, practical, and full of real-life ideas, Growing Social Communication Through Play will help you create more meaningful, enjoyable interactions while supporting your child’s communication development at the same time.