Home Learning in Tameside
Birth - 5 years
The family home is the most important learning environment for pre-school children. What parents do with their children, how they interact with them, play, talk to them and their participation in purposeful activities has a positive impact on healthy development and wellbeing.Children spend a considerable amount of time in their homes, playing alongside family members, copying actions, having meaningful conversations, being social and imaginative and these are the essential building blocks to support later educational achievement.
Adapting to the school environment can be challenging, especially if children haven’t refined a number of skills essential to support their readiness to learn at school, including:
- independence skills such as toileting, putting a coat and shoes on, or handling cutlery,
- confidence,
- ability to build relationships with peers and play nicely alongside others,
- manage their emotions, feelings and behaviour,
- sit still and concentrate.
Children whose skills develop more slowly than those of their peers are less likely to be ready for school and may have difficulties with different aspects of their development.
What do we mean by the home learning environment?
The home learning environment is not just about learning opportunities available. It is a combination of everything you and your family do, and the spaces children have access to that support learning and development. For example, sharing books and role-modelling everyday tasks such as washing up, laundry, or mealtimes.
What can I do?
Support your child’s development, particularly their speech, language and communication skills by including these activities in your daily life.
- Listen to your child/ren and value their contributions and ideas.
- Create opportunities for language and thinking.
- Read and share books daily. Have a range of books out for children to access freely.
- Sing songs and nursery rhymes.
- Provide resources for messy play and mark-making.
- Use outdoor space and local community assets such as libraries and parks.
Family life is busy, and it can be difficult to dedicate time to play with your child, but consider:
- utilising mealtimes where you can have a conversation about the day,
- bring learning into routines such as bath time, bedtime, when travelling in the car or on a bus, when out shopping,
- switching off the television and other electronic devices,
- get outdoors daily so your child can move and be active.
With a little support from experienced early years practitioners who can inform, support and guide, children can thrive in the home.
Our home learning educators, Amy and Sarah, are here to help.
Amy Ratcliffe - 07977926056 Sarah Stradomsky - 07973804917
What support can we provide?
- Sharing knowledge on the importance of play and the benefits to children, how to create the opportunity for positive interactions with your child, and how to support development stages.
- Support with speech, language and communication.
- Delivery of the REAL programme in the home - Making it REAL (ncb.org.uk)
- Making it REAL (Raising Achievements in Literacy)
- Provide bespoke sessions that work with parents’ wishes for their child, and children’s interests and strengths.
- Help prepare children with the skills needed to support their education journey.
- Look at some of the barriers to play opportunities and provide solutions.
- Provide resources for parents and children to use in the home such as books, story sacks and toys.
Home learning resources
Access good quality resources and information here:
| My Big Book of Learning: Babies | My Big Book of Learning: Now I’m Getting Ready for School |
My Big Book of Learning |
If you would like more information on the service, the type of support we can offer, or to refer yourself or a family, please email Homelearning@tameside.gov.uk