“There is no greater gift you can give a child … than the ability to communicate

Dr. Sally Ward
2000

Tots on Tour, est 2002, by Fiona Cann and Sara Sprague, an Early Years Speech and language therapist and teacher partnership. A passionate partnership, passionate that all children should have the opportunity to become confident communicators and each day should be full of ENGAGING, ENABLING AND ENHANCING language learning opportunities ensuring we are ‘GROWING TALK, together.

“ … an inspirational and highly regarded Speech and Language Therapist/Teacher partnership, steeped in strong early years and communication practice and pedagogy, committed and passionate about their work with both families and practitioners

Early Years Practitioner, North Lincolnshire
2014

“Communication is crucial, it underpins every child’s ability to attain, succeed and make friends, but it doesn’t just happen- it needs to be taught and nurtured

Bercow
2008

The Growing Talk Licensed Family Programme (2010), is a programme of tried and tested interactive, engaging ideas, principles and strategies all designed to be used to run group sessions for families and their children, providing ideas to help nurture children’s early communication and language development both within the session and at home. The GTLP ideas are used by early years professionals within a range of settings e.g. Family Hubs, Home based provision and within Early Years settings

The GTFP has been used extensively by Local Authority Children Centres across Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and Doncaster. In both Lincolnshire and Doncaster, the Growing Talk Family programme has been used across all Family Hubs as part of the children centre core universal offer, to support all aspects of Communication and Language within the early years.

“The GTLP has been used across Doncaster Family Hubs as the foundation of the communication offer for many years, since 2020, the programme ideas are used flexibly within a selection of family hub groups

Doncaster Local Authority Family Hubs and Early Years
2017-2022

“The Growing Talk Family Programme is part of the Family Hub core offer to families; providing high quality early childhood services and seamless support to families in Lincolnshire, particularly the most vulnerable families, in order to empower them to support their child’s learning and to ensure they are ready for pre-school/school”.

Lincolnshire Early Years Alliance
2017-2022

Practical training for early years professionals created by a
teacher / speech and language partnership

All Growing Talk training is face to face, and suitable for early years practitioners who have responsibility for enhancing and nurturing young children’s early language and communication development.

Growing Talk training workshops provide practitioners with a tool kit of engaging ideas, activities, and approaches for creating meaningful language learning experiences, together with the opportunity to reflect on essential strategies that will support quality adult/child interactions. 

All Growing Talk workshops are relaxed, fun and informative.

“One of the most useful, inspirational and enjoyable courses I have been on. All the ideas will enhance children’s communication development whatever their language level

Early Years Practitioner, Notts

“I’ve learnt so much, and everything I’ve learnt on this training has helped me in not just my own practice or when sharing small group times but throughout the whole day and even at home with my own children, everyone should do this training, it’s absolutely phenomenal …

Family Hub Practitioner , Doncaster
2021

“It’s not like other training, it’s more interactive and you are able to put what you have learnt into practice by trying out the ideas during the day, it’s really relaxed but also reflective

Doncaster Family Hub Practitioner
2022

New for 2024/25

Growing Talk Licensed Lead Practitioner Training

Having seen first hand the impact of Growing Talk training, and the associated resources, Wolds Childcare Ltd were keen to work with the Growing Talk team to develop this training for lead practitioners and share the training with other early year providers.

“The impact of using these simple, tried and tested ideas has been far reaching, Staff have observed that the children have engaged more in small group times, quality interactions have improved across the nursery day both outside and inside, and families have commented positively on the vocabulary children were using”
 
 
For further information click below

Who should attend:

Early Years/pre school practitioners and room leaders who have responsibility for enhancing and nurturing children’s communication, speech and language development (ideally with a minimum Level 3 qualification)

Where possible, it is recommended that two attend.

20% less for additional attendees

To book your place use the link below

“As an Early Years Practitioner, the Growing Talk programme is intertwined into my daily practice, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The manual is great when I need some extra inspiration too. My children are especially fond of the puppet Mikey!

“The Growing Talk programme has enhanced my skills as an Early Years Educator. I now understand, even more so, the essential role that speech and language plays in the learning journeys of all children. Supporting children to become confident communicators is a critical part of my practice and I am thankful for the Growing Talk programme for deepening my understanding!

Growing Talk Together

Partnerships

The Growing Talk Team are committed to working together with families and organisations and always welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively.

A regular event in the early years of the Tots on Tour diary was the annual Chatterbox Challenge. We had great fun in our family groups dressing up and sharing the Chatterbox Challenge songs whilst raising money for ICAN.

“Tots on Tour are a long standing and valued supporter of I CAN’s work and particularly our Chatterbox Challenge.
Their support has resulted in thousands more children taking part in our Challenge thanks to the sharing of information and packs to professionals they work with

“As an organisation they are passionate about enhancing young children’s early language and communication – a clear synergy with I CAN’s aims. We are thrilled to be working with them to raise awareness about the importance of early communication for children’s learning

Lynne Regal
I CAN Head of Corporate and Community Fundraising

“The licensed programme ‘Growing Talk’ has been the foundation of our communication offer here in Doncaster Family Hubs for many years. In 2020 we moved to expand the use of the programme across Doncaster in different ways. The simple yet engaging ideas/songs/rhymes combined with strategies to enhance quality interactions, have helped our early years practitioners both in Family Hubs and across our Early Years provision to enhance young children’s early communication and language. The Growing Talk Handbook is the most celebrated element for supporting the practical application of our Enhanced South Yorkshire Talking Together Training Programme

Alison Fleetwood – Service Manager
Family Hubs and Early Years
February 2024

About Tots on Tour

Tots on Tour, established in 2002, was developed by Fiona Cann, Early Years speech and language therapist and Sara Sprague teacher, the founders of Growing Talk; the Family Growing Talk Programme and Growing Talk Training.

In 2002, aware that additional support was needed for both families and educators, Fiona and Sara decided to pool their skills and experiences to form the partnership known as Tots on Tour. A partnership that would enable them to work more extensively with families and professionals to enhance children’s early communication and language skills.  A passionate partnership, passionate that all children should have the opportunity to become confident communicators and that each day should be full of engaging, enabling, enhancing language learning opportunities where everyone is included and involved in Growing Talk, together.

“… an inspirational and highly regarded Speech and Language Therapist/Teacher partnership, steeped in strong early years and communication practice and pedagogy, committed and passionate about their work with both families and practitioners

Early Years Practitioner, North Lincolnshire
2014

Fiona and Sara drew on their extensive professional experiences of working for the NHS and local authorities, together with their own parenting experiences.

Sara’s two children developed language very differently, one has a significant language learning difficulty and one never has enough words for all that he wants to talk about, but both have enjoyed Tots on Tour, Growing Talk activities designed to include all children!

Growing Talk training developed as a means to share the Growing Talk Programme ideas with early years professionals.

In addition to providing Growing Talk training, the Growing Talk team enjoy working collaboratively with Local Authorities to support and deliver Department for Education funded Early Years Speech and Language training initiatives. These have included Birth to Three Matters, Listening to Young Children, Communication Matters, Every Child a Talker and more recently the South Yorkshire Talking Together initiative.

“A teacher and a speech and language therapist that combined forces and created a programme to enhance children’s early communication and language skills – genius!
I wish I had known about it sooner.”


The GTFP has been used extensively by Local Authority Children Centres across Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and Doncaster. In Lincolnshire, the Growing Talk Family programme has been used across all Family Hubs as part of the Children centre core universal offer, to support all aspects of Communication and Language within the early years. 

Children develop at different rates and some are later to talk than others. For information about what to expect at different ages and practical ideas to support early communication and language please visit the sites below.
If you are concerned about your child’s speech, language and communication development chat with your health visitor, a family hub children centre practitioner or your child’s childminder, nursery, pre school or school.
More information about speech and language therapy is available at the Royal College of Speech and language therapists website RCSLT

Tots On Tour

Tel : 07900 818 927

© 2024. Tots on Tour & Growing Talk. All rights reserved