Sending off your beloved little toddler to nursery is not easy - you can't stop thinking about them all day and when you get them back and ask what they did, they can't remember, or did "nothing" or did "playing"...it can be very frustrating!

So what can you do to get a bit more information out of your pre-schooler, or school child? Here are a few tips about how to glean a bit more detail to find out what they did while away from you.

Keep it focused and not vague

• Don't just ask, "What did you do today?" ask more specific questions:
• What was the best thing about today?
• What did you play in the garden?
• Did you play with any new toys today?
• What was the story?

Make it two-way!

• Share what you did.  Tell of three activities you did and then ask for three things they did.

Don't force it:

• Details may come out later during tea or on they way home.  Don't force details immediately as soon as you pick them up.

Talk about your school days:

• I loved PE and when I was little I used to...

Keep it relaxed and easy:

• It should be fun telling each other about the day not an arduous task.  So, keep it perky and easy.

The truth!

• If you fear they may be telling fibs about their day, (they were visited by a space man and the teacher fell into the sandpit and they all buried her!) then, go along with it.  Make it into a fun story-telling activity!

Babbling is not just a load of nonsensical rubbish that babies produce, it is actually an important part of verbal development and without it talking would just never happen.  Most baby's develop at a similar rate and you can spot the changes as follows:-

• Month 3 - this is the month when babbling and cooing and gurgling usually starts.  It becomes apparent to the baby that everyone likes it (because we all laugh and encourage it) so they do it more and more!
• Month 6 - they will babble in conversation like a grown-up might.  They watch and copy and imitate as much as they can.
• Month 9 - they can actually imitate the noises they hear and copy the adults and children around.

How to get your little one talking

By interacting with your baby, you can encourage your baby to learn to talk and to learn words and their meanings:-

• Make your voice and facial expression seem encouraging.  Lots of smiles and praise to show you are happy with them and give them more confidence to do it again.
• Try making baby babble back to your child and see whether they enter into a "conversation" with you.
• Do some proper talking with them too: point to things and name them.
• Use different voices as well as your normal voice to get their attention.
• Sing songs, do rhymes and read books together - no matter how young the children are.
• Use props too if you can when signing (animals for Old MacDonald's Farm etc.)
• Use tools when chatting: baby microphone, toy telephone etc.