How to learn through playGuidance to support your child’s early learning and development

What can you do to give your child the best start?

As a parent, you want to give your child the best start in life and you can give them a helping hand by what you do together at home.

Supporting your child’s learning and development does not have to wait until they start school, and does not need to involve expensive toys and activities.

Research* has found that what you do at home with your baby or young child has a real and lasting impact on their learning and development. As a parent, you are your child’s fi rst teacher. You know them better than anyone else, which is why what you do at home has such a powerful infl uence on their opportunities to learn and develop.

*The Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education project at the Institute of Education: eppe.ioe.ac.uk

How can I help my child to play and learn?Your child was born ready to explore the world around them. Playing with a loving, responsive parent, carer or family member, is essential for their learning and development.

Here are some suggestions for playing with your baby or child at home – that you might be already doing or that you might want to try:

Sit down with your child and join in with

their activity. Respond to their actions and get involved with

their play e.g. make up stories, tap out the rhythms on

pots and pans, sing songs together.

Let your child lead their play. Watch them carefully to find out what they are interested in and join in.

Stop everything you are doing and give

your child your full attention.

When going for a walk, talk about

what you see.

Give your older baby or young child,

safe household objects to explore e.g. brushes, spoons,

gloves, paper bags and cardboard boxes.

Learning through play

Per

sona

l, S

oci

al a

nd

Em

oti

ona

l Dev

elo

pm

ent

Phy

sica

l D

evel

op

men

tC

om

mun

iact

ion

and

Lan

gua

ge

Making relationships

Moving and handling Health Self-care

Listening and attention Understanding Speaking

Self-confi dence and self-awareness

Managing feelings and behaviour

What other ways can you help your child to learn?What you do with your baby or very young child at home, has a real and lasting impact on their learning and development. Your child could be further supported by attending a high-quality childcare setting, such as a Childminder, Pre-school Nursery, Full Day Care Nursery or Children’s Centre Stay and Play session. ‘Early education can make a fundamental difference to life chances, but only if a child receives high quality early education at a young age’*

If your child is two-years-old, they may be entitled to a funded childcare place of up to 15 hours per week, from the term after their second birthday. In Shropshire this is known as 24U. If you think your child may be eligible please visit www.shropshire.gov.uk/24U Once your child is three-years-old, they will be entitled to 15 hours per week of free early education at an

early years setting, from the term after their third birthday. For more local information visit www.shropshirefamilyinfo.co.uk

All early years settings work to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) document published by the Department for Education (DfE). This sets the standards that all settings must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress, through school and life.

For more information visit www.foundationyears.org.uk

Working TogetherYou may be already using childcare, or perhaps you are thinking about it. Talking about the activities you do at home with your child and sharing this information with your Health Visitor, childcare setting or local Children’s Centre, will be beneficial for your child’s learning and development.

Your Health Visitor will support you with your child’s Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), for a health and development review at 2 years.

Shropshire Health Visitor Teams:North 01691 663608 South (E) 01746 711958Central 01743 452300 South (W) 01588 676322

Family Information Service (FIS)Tel: 01743 254400 Email: shropshireFIS@shropshire.gov.ukOr visit: www.shropshirefamilyinfo.co.uk

Support offered by your local Children’s Centre involves working with families across Shropshire in different ways to improve outcomes.

Advice, support, information and practical sessions include: • Home visits offering 1:1 help, advice and support on a range of topics• Support for parents with children with additional needs and /or disabilities• Support around jobs, training, money and healthy life styles• Stay and Play sessions, and a variety of free courses

Local Children’s Centre contacts:North 01691 656513 Central 01743 452400 South 01694 723465

For more information visit www.shropshire.gov.uk/childrenscentres.nsf