Getting more involved with Child Development

Children learn a huge amount while in quality childcare; however, they also spend large amounts of time at home where learning happens naturally, meaning that parents are the first and most important educators in their child’s life.

Together, childcare practitioners and parents can have a significant positive influence on a child’s learning and development.

A good quality childcare provider should work alongside you and your family to support the pace and quality of your child’s developmental progress.

HOW TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Family learning gives parents the skills to continue developing their child’s learning in the home even when their children have finished their session at childcare.

And family members doesn’t just have to mean parents — it can include siblings, grandparents, friends or anyone else that cares for your child.

A good quality childcare provider should work alongside you and your family

HOW FAMILY LEARNING WORKS

Ask your childcare provider what your child is currently learning or focusing on and ask them for suggestions of relevant activities you can do with them at home to continue their learning.

Your provider may run short, informal sessions at nursery or pre-school in which they explain what topics your child is covering and teach you skills that will help you to encourage your child’s learning in the home.

Family learning can also provide opportunities to improve your own skills in areas such as mathematics and English and feel more confident when supporting your child with their learning.

WHY IT WORKS

Evidence shows that learning in the home helps: • Improve educational outcomes for your children in the long term • Encourages more parents back into learning themselves and promotes more family interest in learning through play activities which directly benefit their children’s learning • Provides a strong base to help parents and practitioners to better support a child’s journey towards formal schooling • Improves relationships between parents and children. The success of family learning demonstrates that parents who become more interested in their children’s learning generally make the work undertaken by the childcare provider more effective. • Fun activities to do at home • Healthy eating quiz or fun with baking • Making puppets to improve communication • Home-made musical instruments • Number games and activities • Songs and rhymes • Exploring shapes (indoors or outdoors) • Visiting the library • Float or sink (fun with water-based games).

VOLUNTEERING AT YOUR CHILD’S SETTING

This is a great way to become more involved with your child’s learning. • You do not need any experience, although previous experience working with children or in childcare is invaluable. • You may be interested in formal roles like a nursery assistant where you will receive lots of support including an induction or special training. Other roles may be more informal with flexible arrangements such as joining outings to the park, helping with a fundraising activity or running a toy library.

Your child’s setting is likely to be open to ideas.

VOLUNTEERING AT YOUR CHILD’S SETTING CAN HELP YOU:

• Increase your enjoyment and understanding of the way your child learns; • Learn new skills, gain confidence and practical experience; • Make new friends and meet other parents • Develop and become part of a parent forum • Take up free training opportunities to help you progress into paid work • Get to know your child’s friends better • Explore new career opportunities in childcare • Give something back to your local community.

This article was written by the Early Years Child Alliance (www.eyalliance.org.uk), a registered educational charity, which supports fourteen thousand members to deliver care and learning to over 800,000 families every year.

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