Home learning environment
Children are learning all the time when they're with you in your childcare setting. All of the things you do with them - from chatting as you change their nappies to counting out apples in the supermarket and debating whether to cut sandwiches into squares or triangles for lunch - their brains are taking it all in.
A rich home learning environment isn't just something that professional childminders can offer. There's lots you can do to help encourage and empower parents to create an active home learning environment as well, helping to create vibrant learning spaces for children.
#Smallthings
Small things make a big difference to a child's learning. These short videos are designed to give parents ideas and hints to help them explore ways of learning at home. Show them to parents and encourage them to give the tips a go.
Literacy for life
Discover more about how you can support early literacy and the developmental advantages it has for children and their parents.
Information to share with parents
Benefits of childcare for your toddler
If you're unsure of whether or not to use registered childcare, or to accept the funding available for some 2-year-olds, this information will help you understand the benefits that you and your baby will experience.
Sharing books
Sharing books with your child is a great way to explore ideas and learn together. Watch PACEY President and childcare expert Penny Tassoni's top tips for reading together.
Mark making - tips for parents
Explore what mark making is and how you can support your child to develop the early skills needed to start writing and develop mathematical understanding, creative expression, art and drawing.
Your child's key person
Whatever your childcare setting, your child will have a key person assigned to them. Learn more about what the key person's role is and how you can work well together.
Outdoor play
Access to outdoor play is so important to children's development. Learn more about why, and discover ideas and inspiration to get outside together.
Transitions and settling in
Change can be a challenge - for you as well as for your child. This factsheet looks at how you and your childcarer can work together to support your child through change - from settling in with a new childcarer to leaving childcare and heading to school.
Toilet training tips
Childcare expert Penny Tassoni shares her top tips for successful toilet training.
Supporting Behaviour
Two-year-olds can be challenging. Their developmental stage means that they can be very determined, but also impulsive. This will change as they develop language but in this "in between" stage they can be become very frustrated as they struggle to communicate their feelings. Here's a short series of videos that might make this phase a little easier.
Tiny Happy People
Tiny Happy People, from the BBC, aims to help parents understand the benefits of developing their children's language and communication skills to help them get the best start in life. The films, annimations, activities and ideas are easy to build into a daily routine are fun, but they're also based on expert advice and evidence proven to help children's development.
Hungry Little Minds
Hungry Little Minds is the new Department for Education campaign that encourages parents and carers to adopt positive activities and behaviours to boost children’s communication, language and literacy development.
The campaign aims to help parents understand that they have a massive impact on their child’s learning. Reading, playing and chatting with children are simple things parents can do to help them develop, even when they are too young to say much back.
Parents can access tips and activities from
www.hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/ and also search for activities in their area using a new postcode finder service.
Through the Eyes of a Child
The Communication Trust have produced 4 films to help parents encourage their children's communication development. Narrated by actor Kathy Burke, the films are full of useful advice on how parents can encourage their child to talk and interact with them.
#Talk With Me / Siarad Gyda Fi
Darllenwch hyn yn Gymraeg yma. Read this in Welsh here
Talk With Me is the Welsh Government’s campaign to encourage parents and carers to play, listen and talk with their children in the early years (between 0-5 years old). We want parents to talk with their children every day to light up their minds, help their brains grow, and give them the best possible start in life.
Talk With Me offers a range of helpful, expert-led, accessible tools, tips, and resources to support parents on their child’s language-learning journey, including the newly developed Parent and Carer Pack, which includes activities for parents, carers and family members to help little ones learn to talk. The pack is full of guidance such as ’10 tips to help me learn to talk’, ‘Learning to talk: ages and stages’ and ‘Games to help your little one’s talking’.
Share the Parent and Carer Pack, with parents and caregivers of children between 0-5 years old to help them on their language-learning journey. For more information, follow Siarad gyda fi – Talk with me on Facebook.
Talk-with-Me-Print-Ready
‘Siarad gyda Fi’ yw ymgyrch Llywodraeth Cymru i annog rhieni a gofalwyr i chwarae, gwrando a siarad gyda’u plant yn y blynyddoedd cynnar (rhwng 0 a 5 oed). Rydyn ni eisiau i rieni siarad gyda’i plant bob dydd i oleuo eu meddyliau, helpu eu hymennydd i dyfu, a rhoi’r dechrau gorau posibl iddyn nhw mewn bywyd.
Mae Siarad gyda Fi yn cynnig amrywiaeth o offer, tips ac adnoddau defnyddiol, dan arweiniad arbenigwyr, i gefnogi rhieni ar daith dysgu iaith eu plentyn, gan gynnwys y Pecyn Rhieni a Gofalwyr sydd newydd ei ddatblygu, sy’n llawn gweithgareddau i rieni, gofalwyr ac aelodau o’r teulu i helpu plant bach i ddysgu siarad. Mae’r pecyn yn cynnwys canllawiau fel ’10 tip i fy helpu i ddysgu siarad’, ‘Taith siarad dy blentyn bach’ a ‘Gemau i helpu dy blentyn bach i siarad’.
Rhannwch y Pecyn Rhieni a Gofalwyr, â rhieni a gofalwyr plant rhwng 0 a 5 oed i’w helpu ar eu taith dysgu iaith. I wybod mwy, dilynwch Siarad gyda fi – Talk with me ar Facebook.
Siarad Gyda Fi - Argraffu yn barod
Other ideas