Communication with children and young people is both simple and complex, requiring the nurse to have a repertoire of skills to interact effectively. Many factors influence how, when and why the practitioner will communicate with children and much of this is equally influenced by the presence of parents or other main carers. Nurses use a range of skills in providing care for children but communication is the crux of much that we do and is the basis for demonstrating compassion. The wide range of arenas in which children’s nurses work means that an equally wide range of skills and techniques are needed to meet specific situations and some of these are considered here.