Children learn everything about the world from supportive parents/carers and a stimulating environment.
You are your child’s first teacher. Play is very important to ensure good brain development it underpins learning and all aspects of children's development. Through play, children develop language skills, their emotions and creativity, social and intellectual skills.
Playing with your child can involve very simple games like,” Peek-a-Boo”, singing nursery rhymes, or sorting shapes. Sharing books and reading, even with babies, builds language and understanding and will support growing speech and language skills. The local library facilitates groups for pre-school children and can support your library membership and choice of books.
When our Health Visiting team discuss your child’s development with you, we will talk about age-appropriate play and stimulation and give ideas and guidance about how to reach the next developmental stage.
Don’t be surprised if we engage and play with your child during our visits as that will assure us that their development is on track.
Some children will be in an Early Years Childcare and Education setting during the day, this might be a Nursery or Childminder. All settings are regulated via the Local Authority and must provide children with a variety of play and stimulating activities, as well as undertaking development assessments according to the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. More information and a list of Providers can be obtained via the Local Authority.
Some play ideas for pre-school children can be found on the websites below.
