School Readiness: Speech & Language Skills Your Child Needs

Is Your Child Ready for School? A Speech & Language Guide for Parents

Starting school is a huge milestone — and speech and language skills are among the most important readiness indicators. Children who can communicate clearly, follow instructions, and express their ideas are better prepared to learn, make friends, and settle into the classroom.

Research shows that 1 in 4 Australian children starting school have a speech or language concern. That does not mean one in four children have a disorder — but it does mean many families have questions about whether their child's communication is on track.

This guide helps parents and early childhood educators understand what speech and language skills children typically need for school, and what to do if there are concerns. It is written in plain language, with practical advice you can act on.

A Note on State Terminology

The first year of school is called different things across Australia:

• Kindergarten — NSW and ACT
• Prep — Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania
• Foundation — the national curriculum term (used alongside Prep in VIC)
• Reception — South Australia
• Pre-Primary — Western Australia
• Transition — Northern Territory

Regardless of what it is called, the speech and language expectations are broadly the same. For cutoff dates and enrolment details, see our School Starting Age by State guide.

Reference: Raising Children Network — Getting Ready for School

This is a practical checklist you can use at home or in early childhood settings. It covers the key speech and language skills that children typically have — or are developing — by the time they start school (around age 5).

Speech Sounds

• Can be understood by unfamiliar adults most of the time
• Uses most speech sounds correctly (some errors with r, v, and th are still age-appropriate at age 5)
• Can be understood when telling a story or describing an event

Understanding Language (Receptive Language)

• Follows 2–3 step instructions ("Get your bag, put it on the hook, and come sit on the mat")
• Understands questions: who, what, where, when, why, how
• Understands basic concepts: big/small, in/on/under, same/different, before/after
• Understands simple stories read aloud

Using Language (Expressive Language)

• Uses sentences of 5–8 words
• Can tell a simple story with a beginning, middle, and end
• Uses past tense ("I played"), plurals ("dogs"), and pronouns ("he", "she", "they") mostly correctly
• Can describe objects, events, and feelings
• Asks and answers questions

Social Communication

• Takes turns in conversation
• Makes eye contact when talking and listening
• Can play cooperatively with other children
• Uses words to express needs and solve problems (rather than physical actions)
• Adjusts language for different listeners (e.g., talks differently to adults vs peers)

Pre-Literacy Skills

• Recognises and can produce rhyming words
• Can clap syllables in words
• Knows some letter names and sounds
• Shows interest in books and stories
• Can write or attempt to write their name

For more detail on when specific sounds typically develop, see our Speech Sounds Development Chart.

If you are worried about your child's speech or language, the most important thing to know is: you are not overreacting. Early assessment is always better than "wait and see."

Where to Start

1. Talk to your child's early childhood educator or preschool teacher — they observe your child in a group setting every day and can share what they have noticed
2. See your GP — ask for a referral to a speech pathologist

Access Options in Australia

There are several ways to access speech pathology services:

• Community health centres — free services through state health departments, but often have waitlists of several months
• Private speech pathologists — faster access, with out-of-pocket costs. You may be eligible for a Medicare rebate if your GP provides a referral under a GP Management Plan, which covers up to 5 allied health sessions per calendar year
• NDIS — for children with diagnosed disabilities, the National Disability Insurance Scheme can fund speech pathology services
• School-based services — some schools have visiting speech pathologists, particularly in areas with higher needs

What to Expect from a Speech Pathology Assessment

A speech pathology assessment for a young child is typically:

• 1–2 sessions in length
• Play-based — the speech pathologist will use toys, games, pictures, and conversation to assess your child's skills (it is not a test your child can "fail")
• Results in a written report with clear recommendations about whether your child would benefit from therapy, and what you can do at home

The Power of Early Intervention

Research consistently shows that early support leads to better outcomes. Children who receive speech pathology intervention before or during their first year of school make significantly more progress than those who are not seen until later years. If you have concerns, acting now is the best thing you can do.

Reference: Speech Pathology Australia — Communication Milestones

The good news is that the most effective ways to build speech and language skills are simple, free, and built into everyday life. You do not need special equipment, flashcards, or formal lessons.

Read Aloud Every Day

This is the single most impactful thing parents and carers can do for their child's language development. Reading aloud builds vocabulary, sentence structure, narrative understanding, and a love of stories. It does not matter if your child wants to read the same book every night — repetition is powerful.

Talk About Everything

Narrate your daily activities: "I'm cutting the apple into four pieces — one for you, one for me." Expand on what your child says. If they say "big truck!", you might respond "Yes, that's a really big red truck. It's carrying logs."

Play

Imaginative play, board games, playdough, building, drawing, cooking together — all of these build language. Play is how young children learn, and language grows naturally through play when an adult is there to model, respond, and extend.

Limit Screens

The Australian Government Department of Health recommends no more than 1 hour per day of screen time for children aged 2–5. Screen time is not harmful in itself, but it displaces conversation time — and conversation is what builds language.

Sing Songs and Nursery Rhymes

Songs and rhymes build phonological awareness — the ability to hear the sound patterns in language. This skill is one of the strongest predictors of later reading success. If your child can hear and produce rhymes, they are building a foundation for reading.

Follow Your Child's Lead

Talk about what your child is interested in. If they are fascinated by dinosaurs, use dinosaur play to build vocabulary, ask questions, and practise storytelling. Children learn language best when they are engaged and motivated.

Model Correct Language

Rather than correcting your child directly, expand and recast. If your child says "Him goed to the park", respond naturally: "Yes, he went to the park! What did he do there?" This gives your child the correct model without making them feel they have made a mistake.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

"What happened at preschool today?" invites a longer response than "Did you have fun?" Open-ended questions encourage children to use more language and practise organising their ideas.

For activities that specifically build the sound awareness skills children need for reading, see our Phonological Awareness Activities page.

Reference: Raising Children Network — Language Development: 4–5 Years