How to keep your children engaged during the closures
Remember to be kind to yourself during this time. This is a stressful time for everyone and especially parents. You don’t need to turn your home into a nursery and double up as a practitioner, there are lots of different ways to have fun whilst playing. Remember that Albert Einstein once said, “Play is the highest form of research.”
Don’t stress too much about ‘homeschooling’ under 5s. The three most important things you can do each day are Chat, Play, and Read.
Understanding the development stages
This ‘What to expect, when?’ document will give you guidance on your child’s learning and development in the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ (or EYFS for short). The EYFS is a framework which sets out the learning and development stages for children as they grow from birth to five years. It’s been created to show those working in the early years what they need to do to support your child.
This document has been written to help you as a parent/carer know what to expect during these vitally important years by focusing on the seven areas of learning and development which are covered in the EYFS. This should be a good starting point for supporting your children’s learning from home.
Resources to support the Seven Areas of Learning and Development
The seven areas of learning and development which are covered in the EYFS are:
We’ve pulled together a bunch of resources from some well-known celebrities and children’s entertainers who we’ve collaborated with below and labelled them up for you. So you know exactly how they will help your child to develop and you can be confident that playing does lead to learning.
Up first we have some amazing videos and games from some of our chosen collaborators...
Learn Baby Sign Language
Baby signing is about good communication between you and your baby. It’s an excellent way to communicate “two-way“. From around 6 months old, babies can understand you and they are having plenty of thoughts of their own BUT they cannot tell you what those thoughts are and that is frustrating!
The good news is your baby is developing their hand co-ordination and can learn many signs to communicate their message to you. Signing bridges the ‘I know what I want but can’t say it yet’ gap. In short, it gives your child a temporary tool for the job until speech comes along and this is a great relief for a frustrated baby and frazzled parents!
Make slime with Dr Zob
What you need:
- PVA GLue
- Shaving Foam
- Food Colouring/Dye
- Borax or Baking Soda as ‘Slime Activator’
- A spoon for mixing
- Some tissues for the mess!
Playing with slime allows children to experience different textures and sensations. Whilst you are playing, ask them to describe what it feels like – this will help them to increase their understanding of new words.
Enjoy a Family Yoga Game
This game can be played individually with friends or family in person or over video calling. And you can download the game as a PDF here.
Yoga can benefit every child and increase their individual chance for success and happiness.
- Learn to relax together
- Develop body awareness and learn to trust their intuition
- Recognise their uniqueness and feel loved
- Improve listening and their ability to follow directions
- Manage stress through breathing, movement, mindfulness and relaxation
Learn British Sign Language
Children who learn sign language are thought to gain confidence and self-esteem. Join Natasha Lamb and Kelly-Ann for a brand new series teaching beginners British Sign Language (BSL).
Learn the Magic of Books
Online Interactive Reading programme with Freddie.
- Reading
- Writing
- MAGIC
Listen carefully and you could even win a super-secret prize!
Like what you see? Then head to Magic4Children’s website now for more fun and games!
Sign and Sing Class
In this video, Jayne from Kids Can Communication signs a nursery rhyme for children.
Jayne has been live streaming over on her facebook page. Check it out.
Here you can find links to celebrities who have also started online communities to support parents and children with home learning during this time...
Audio Stories with David Walliams
David Walliams has released a free audio story each day for the next 30 days to help keep children entertained. Find out more here.
Other resources:
Don’t forget, that for as long as schools are closed, audible is open. Kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.
There’s also these Facebook Groups called Learning and Exploring Through Play and Housebound with Kids which have over 100,000 members sharing fun activities which you can do from home every day.
ParentHub Coming Soon
ParentHub will bring your parents a wealth of resources and activities to ensure that learning continues in the home. It’s free and if you use ParentZone, your parents will have access to it very soon.
Contribute to your Child's learning journey during closures.
Continue to contribute to your child’s learning journey during closures by adding observations from home. If you would like to find out how, and you are unsure what you should upload, read this document.
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About the Author
Marketing Lead at Connect Childcare
How to Implement Reflective Practice in Your Early Years Setting
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