2-3 years: What can I do as a parent? - Services for all
This is for all children and parents – to promote good speaking and listening
What can I do?
Over the last two years you have seen so many changes watching your child grow and develop. Their brain is now approximately 80 % that of an adult! But this is still just the beginning.
Two is the optimum age for a child’s social development to begin to flourish. Therefore now is a good time to think about how you will support them to continue to grow and develop.
Providing different opportunities for new or routine experiences will really help develop their confidence, from going to the park or the farm or to visit a castle, to a simple trip to the supermarket.
Every experience is important to your child’s development and will continue to build their brain and develop their language skills.
Thinking about ways to encourage speech and language development may include:
- Saying your child’s name when you speak to them
- Focus on them, giving them your full attention
- Show an interest in what they are playing with
- Avoid dummies and use a free flow or open beaker
- Limit screen time
- Chat about all the things you are doing or places you have been
- Reading with your child
- Telling stories
- Playing together
- Sing nursery rhymes
In addition, think about the self-help skills which will help your child prepare for nursery, such as getting dressed, eating their own lunch and toilet training.
- Answer:
Staffordshire has 10 Children’s Centres where families can
- access a range of services
- participate in activities with their young children and
- get information about what is going on locally.
The purpose of a Children’s Centre is to ensure young children get the best start in life and that their families are supported to help them achieve this.
Find out what’s available within your local Children’s Centre for you and your child to engage with. Families can see the current activity timetable, links to individual Children’s Centre Facebook pages and Centre contact details on Staffordshire Connects Children’s Centres. Follow your local Children’s Centre on Facebook so you can see information relevant to families and details of new activity sessions. Make contact with your local Children’s Centre to discuss what sessions are offered and find out a bit more.
Stoke-on-Trent Children’s Centres
Please see Stoke on Trent Children’s Centres for more information on the Children’s Centre offer in this area.
Family Hubs
Following your District’s Family Hub on Facebook is also a good way to keep informed on things of interest to families and any Family Hub projects. You can find more information on the Family Hubs on Staffordshire Connects as well as links to our Family Hub projects.
- Answer:
Staffordshire Libraries hold a range of different free and fun sessions each week. The sessions are a great way for parents and carers to make new friends and help their under 5s develop language and communication skills. Free storytelling sessions in libraries help to encourage a love of a wide range of stories. Stories are read aloud and afterwards children can get creative in a craft activity that relates to the story they listened to. Check out what sessions are running at your local library
Stoke on Trent Libraries offer a range of activities:
- Singing Bears – free weekly rhyme sessions in all libraries
- Bouncing Bears – free weekly sessions for active toddlers in selected libraries, comprising music, movement, stories and rhymes
- Story Bears – free weekly story sessions in selected libraries
- Early Years ad-hoc events held across libraries
Activities can be booked at:
Facebook page or Librariesonline
- Answer:
Learning in the home is really important for children and parents play a key role in helping their child to learn and develop new skills.
Books
Books are a good way to support early language development. They can help children learn sounds, letters and words. It's good to start sharing stories, books and rhymes with your child from as early an age as possible. It’s OK to read the same book again and again with your child because familiar books are comforting and build confidence but it’s also good to introduce them to lots of new stories too. Just ten minutes shared reading a day can help your child grow into a happy, confident learner.
Bookstart - gives free books to every child in England and Wales at two key stages before school, as well as free packs for children with additional needs, tips and guidance on reading together, resources and activities, and much more.
Staffordshire Libraries - You are never too young to join the library! Your child can have a library card from birth, just ask at any Staffordshire Library or join online. Library membership is free. There’s no need to buy books when you can borrow them free from our libraries. There are no overdue charges if you take out children’s books on a child’s library card and there are no lost and damaged charges for children’s books for under 5s borrowed on their library card. Staffordshire libraries love it when you visit the library with your child and don’t mind how noisy they are.
Stoke on Trent Libraries offer the following:
- Free library membership – New customers can join the library online
- the library has board books and picture books to borrow and share, including dual language books
- A sensory room at City Central Library – free for library members to book and use
- Enquiry service, including signposting to other services
- Bookstart Treasure packs for all children in Nursery, including dual language books and additional needs packs – delivered by libraries working with schools
- Little Library Van visits to early years and community settings
- Stoke Reads 25 Reads reading challenge for children aged 0-5
- Free eBooks and eAudiobooks for children
Family Hubs
Your local Family Hub is a virtual space where you can find advice, support and connect with others in your area, they offer a range of information, support and advice for families at a local and county level communicated mainly through the Family Hub Facebook pages.
We also have produced a wealth of in-house support which has been created by the Early Years Coordination team. This includes topics such as Family Hub Cooking, Family Craft Hub, Community Crates Fun and School Readiness to support your child’s learning and development within the home.
- Answer:
- If your child attends an early years setting, ask the key worker about the Early Years Progress Check. If this has been completed for your child, share it with the Health Visitor at the development review as it will add further information to the assessment.
Before your child’s 2 ½ year review you will be sent two Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ and ASQ-SE) by the Health Visiting Team covering Stoke on Trent
or Staffordshire Families and Wellbeing 0-19 service to complete.
The first ASQ covers 5 areas of development:
- Communication
- Gross motor development
- Fine motor development
- Personal and social development
- Problem solving.
The second questionnaire (ASQ-SE) is specific to your child’s social and emotional development.
Filling these questionnaires out prior to the appointment allows you time to play with your child and observe their development in the familiar surroundings of your own home. It also provides time to think about your child’s social and emotional development so you can feel prepared for the appointment.