How do I encourage a child who does not talk much?

A child who speaks little is not necessarily a child in distress. Some children are simply slower to warm up, more internally focused, or naturally observant. Rather than pushing them to talk, build connection first. Children need to feel emotionally safe before they feel ready to use language freely. Engage with them through expressive facial cues, warm tone, and slow-paced interaction. Narrate what you are doing throughout the day, ‘Now we are washing your hands’, ‘Look at the bird outside’, ‘It is time to eat the banana’, so that your child hears language used with rhythm and care, without pressure to respond.
Make space for non-verbal communication. Celebrate gestures, eye contact, pointing, and facial expressions as valid forms of interaction. These signs show that your child is connecting and paying attention. Through play, especially pretend play or role-play with dolls and toys, children often begin to experiment with speech in a low-pressure setting. Reading together also helps, choose books with rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, and pause with anticipation before a familiar word to invite your child to join in. Even if they do not speak yet, they are absorbing more than you might realise.
Avoid correcting or prompting too much, especially in public or when others are watching. Statements like ‘Say this’ or ‘Why are you not talking?’ can add stress and make speech feel like a test. Instead, delight in any sound or word they offer, echo it back, and expand on it gently. Provide a calm, predictable environment with minimal background noise so that your child’s attempts to speak are not lost or ignored. When a child feels valued for who they are, not just how much they say, speech often begins to unfold naturally and confidently.