If you have – or work with – children who are under five, today’s ‘back-to-school’ tip is just for you.
Child at this age aren’t at school, I know, but they are learning all the time, and they deserve the best support to do this
Top Tip #3: let them play!
Every bit of learning you’re planning for your young children this year should be based in play. That doesn’t mean you can’t support them to develop language and early literacy skills, to begin to count and understand the first math concepts, and to work on fine motor skills so they can one day tie their own shoelaces and write well with a pencil. We definitely should be nurturing these areas – but through playful, age-appropriate ways.
Sometimes it feels like there’s a pressure to start children off on academic lessons too early, and we can have a pang of guilt or mild panic that we’re not doing enough and our children might ‘fall behind’. But remember this: Play is enough. It’s exactly what under-fives should be doing. It is the only age-appropriate way for them to learn.
What play, when?
Knowing that our children learn through play, there’s lots we can do at home, or in a nursery setting, to support them and nurture them in these early years.
If we understand child development, we can provide just the right environment to help our children along a pathway of learning, giving them the opportunity and space to really embed skills in their own time, and gently encouraging them as they move along to new things.
If you would like to give your children the blessing of learning through play, I have two resources that you’ll find really helpful.
Zero to Two: the book of play will show you how to support your child as they discover the world and begin to build important skills. You’ll learn which activities (including sensory play, art, and imaginative play) to introduce at which stage, with a helpful index that guides you to the perfect playtimes whether your child is lying down, sitting, crawling or toddling.
Three to Five: playful preschool shows you how to give your child a preschool experience that is fun, creative, and supportive. It guides you through math, language, science, art, and play, showing you how to provide an engaging, age-appropriate curriculum that your children will love. It comes with ten fantastic printables including My First Journal, a city-scene for pretend play, and math and alphabet game cards.
How to download your resources
Click here to download your resources now.
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