Where Bright Futures Begin
How Can Parents Support Children’s Learning at Home?
The early years are a crucial time for children to develop important skills and attitudes that will support them as successful lifelong learners. Their learning experiences are enhanced by positive relationships and information sharing between parents and educators, and we thank those who recently connected with us during our recent Parent Teacher Exchanges. Often during such conversations, educators are asked to share strategies that can be used at home to enhance children’s learning at the ELC, or to help prepare them for formal schooling.Our ELC setting aims to replicate a home-like environment where children can flourish as respected individuals and community members and we support them to be successful by fostering the development of crucial skills and abilities over time. Self-care, emotional regulation, language, social, physical and play skills are important foundation skills that set children up for success at school and throughout their adult lives. Children often approach our ELC learning spaces and activities more confidently when they have previously encountered similar experiences or expectations, and there are many ways that parents and teachers can nurture growth in these areas.
Some Examples:
Self-care skills: supporting increasing independence when children are eating, toileting, dressing, looking after belongings and packing up
Self Regulation: supporting children to express, understand and manage their feelings in age-appropriate ways and to maintain attention
Language: supporting children to listen to others (receptive language), to communicate their ideas verbally (expressive language) and to develop age-appropriate articulation
Social skills: supporting children to develop friendships and to practise listening, taking turns, sharing and collaborating with others
Physical: providing opportunities for children to develop fine and gross motor skills, physical strength and coordination
Play: supporting children to explore different styles of play such as imaginary play, construction, physical play, loose parts play or exploring artistic materials
Time is a precious commodity in our busy lives and some of the following simple strategies could be added to your family’s daily routine to help promote ongoing learning. For example, developing consistent routines and expectations, playing with, and reading to children regularly, discussing the events of the day over dinner, helping children manage daily self-care routines with increasing independence, giving children simple tasks such as setting or clearing the table, discussing children’s feelings and learning breathing techniques to manage them, playing board games, and setting up play dates. All these experiences enable children to develop important skills and attitudes and foster increasing independence which will support them throughout their learning at the ELC and beyond.
If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to your child’s Educators. If you would like to read more, including some practical strategies, please see the following:
