THE JOY OF LEARNING TOGETHER

As with other home visitors, Mayelin Daiana da Silva (Porto Alegre/RS) remained connected during the pandemic using a chat app and having phone calls with the families who had the device, or she visited the most vulnerable families in person, respecting the biosafety standards.

On those occasions, she always listened attentively with her trained ear, whether about the child's development, based on feedback on how they performed in the proposed activities, or various issues and needed pandemic-related care.

Mayelin always prioritized real-time video calls with the families and often performed the step-by-step of the proposed activities along with them. “My intention was to show them what I was doing and work on it together, that I was really there for them.” the child to carry out the proposed activity. “Parents feel enthusiastic about carrying out the activities and helping the child to reach their goal and to acquire new skills. In other words, co-participation helps parents and children develop together,” she added.

On other occasions, the home visitor sent the activity explanations via audio, either because the family had some difficulty in reading or as a way of getting closer, contributing to positively maintaining the bond. “Many sensations and emotions are transmitted by voice. The audio also gives the family room to respond more comfortably,” added Mayelin.

Over time, the home visitor realized that parents could use the activities to broaden their view of their children's abilities and better understand why it is important to offer activities that stimulate their early childhood development.

The activities proposed throughout this period allowed caregivers to really take the lead. Many of them became truly creative, as when mothers went above and beyond the home visitor's instructions. Most of the children that the home visitor attends at the moment are under three years old, so all the proposals were compatible with this age group. She is always looking for information and techniques that would help her have a closer relationship with the families and develop activities that would meet each family's needs.

One of the activities gave step-by-step instructions on transforming scrap into toys. The home visitor would do this activity at home, imagining that the families would also have the same materials. She would show what she was doing and walk them through the activity on a video call.

This technology helped to adapt the in-person home visits into virtual ones. These visits are always prepared and planned based on understanding and adequacy according to each child's and caregiver's particularities.

Mayelin Daiana da Silva

Program: PIM - Primeira Infância Melhor City: Porto Alegre – RS

Creating a routine for carrying out the activities made it possible to introduce a new activity to them on a specific day and time, which posed a challenge for the parents and