Fingerplays (action songs) are a tool widely used at home and in early years settings. These songs are a wonderful way to support early development in a number of areas.
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Learning to listen is an important foundation for later development. This is particularly true for speech and language development. Being able to hear the difference between different sounds is an important first step. Then tuning into the language used by others to understand it, learn from it and copy it. As with so many skills, starting early and building in lots of practice makes all the difference. Try these tips to get your baby engaged in early listening.
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Attention and listening skills are the foundation skills on which communication and learning can be build. So, it’s a bit of a no-brainer that supporting the development of these skills needs to be top priority. If we focus on these first, then the support we give to other areas is likely to be more successful. There are lots of skills and approaches that can be used in helping young children to learn how to attend and listen to others. Attention buckets are one of my favourites. They are fun and super engaging, plus, they work! What more could we want, right?
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Helping children to practise their listening skills doesn’t need to be a major chore. In a blog ‘Getting Little Ones to Listen’ I share my top tips for supporting early listening. One of those tips is that practise makes perfect. Like any skill, the more we have opportunities to focus on and develop a skill the more likely we are to master and maintain it. Regular fun games are a great way to improve listening.
Am I the only one who feels a little like we are living in an alternate universe? Life feels a little like my normal life, same family, same home and yet somehow everything is entirely different. To be honest I have taken a little time to adjust and settle into a new routine. I needed about 10 days to find a groove that worked for both my family and I. As a result, this blog was written a full 2 weeks after I had planned to write it.
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Communication is a two-way exchange, back and forth. When chatting with adults we are better at giving each other a little space to speak (unless in the full flow of an argument or exciting tale). With young children we have a tendency to fill all of the communication time, when really we are aiming for 50/ 50. The grown up speaks or leads for half of the time and the child can respond or take the lead for the other half.
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Early language development is supported by a child’s experiences. The first words they use tend to be related to objects and people they see most often. By choosing toys which reinforce this vocabulary, we give children a better chance of learning these words
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For lots of parents of children with additional needs, they find themselves entering a whole new world of paperwork, processes and appointments. It can be pretty overwhelming. One of these processes is centred around Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Let’s cover some of the basics about EHCPs for those who are in the early stages of wondering whether their child might need one.
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You have been on the school tours and weighed up the pros and cons and finally you feel you have an idea of what might be a good fit. Here are few tips for giving your first choice a little ‘health check’ to help you to know if the school will be able to meet your child’s needs.
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Confident kids is amazing. Not only do they run courses but also have Facebook groups where you are able to draw from the experiences of the Confident Kids Leader as well as other practitioners, parents and professionals within their groups. I personally attended the level 1 and 2 Makaton courses run by Sarah which were AMAZING! I enjoyed them so much I signed up for the level 3 course as well. The support and expertise that Sarah shares with everyone through Confident Kids is phenomenal!
Emily, Early Years Practitioner & Asst SENCo
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I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah when I attended her level 1 and 2 Makaton courses. She has continued to mentor me in my Makaton studies (and general parenting communication skills) and I very much look forward to joining her in her upcoming level 3 course. Sarah has such a beautiful, encouraging teaching style, her classes are informal and humorous which makes what she teaches stick and she shares great anecdotes to help us remember the signs and symbols. Sarah is obviously so passionate about her subject and that is very infectious. I would strongly recommend Confident Kids to anyone wishing to learn Makaton either as a beginner or someone looking to refresh their skills.
Juliet - Mum to 2 year old twins
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I would thoroughly recommend Sarah at Confident Kids to anyone who is trying to navigate their way through the EHCP process. It is such a complicated and potentially stressful journey but Sarah made it so much less daunting with her excellent advice and guidance. Her knowledge is invaluable and her ability to give you the confidence you need to know you are making the right choices is so reassuring. The journey doesn’t end here for us, so I will definitely be calling upon Sarah in the future should I need her again when the EHCP is due to be reviewed. Thank you Sarah.
Kate - Mum to 4 year old
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Guest blog from Vicky Evans, parenting coach from Parenting ADHD, shares her insights into understanding our children’s behaviour.
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Guest blog from Minisha Yasin, occupational therapist and founder of My Therapy Services, encourages us to look at things with a fresh pair of eyes. Quite often they may just need a little tweaking!
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I am surprised how often I meet families of children with additional needs who have not applied for Disability Living allowance (DLA). When I ask them why they haven’t, more often than not it is because they think it isn’t meant for them. I have begun to realise that people are missing out on (desperately needed) support because of a few myths floating around. Let’s debunk those myths and get on the right track!
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You wait all term to find out how your child is doing at school (what do they actually get up to all day?). Although you catch a glimpse of the teacher most days, getting to talk to one-to-one is rare, even more so if you do not drop off or collect. Parent’s evening is that small window of time. But how do you get the most out of your 10 minute slot?
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Attention and listening are the absolute bedrock of early learning. It is from a solid foundation of strong attention and listening skills that other learning behaviours and therefor access to group learning develops. Good listening supports language, social and cognitive development.
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It can be one of the most frustrating points in the day. Mornings can be a rush at the best of times, but for some seemingly incomprehensible reason your now school aged child has decided they don’t want to get dressed.
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Each family that celebrates Christmas has their own tradition when it comes to presents from Father Christmas. I didn’t appreciate how emotive this choice would become when debated in the arena of primary school, playground politics.
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Have people been suggesting that you try out a group for parents of children with additional needs? Sometimes when I mention these groups to parents they look at me like I have lost my mind! However uncomfortable the idea might seem, there is surprising value in these groups. Let’s explore some of the reasons why.
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