3-4 years: What can I do as a parent? - More help
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.
By the age of two years children are becoming more independent. Although this is exciting, these times can be challenging. 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 help develop their confidence. This could be 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:
Learning in the home is really important for children. 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. 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. It also offers:
- 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. There are also 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. We 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:
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:
Children’s centres run sessions for children and parents. They have regular activities taking place. Find out where your nearest Staffordshire children’s centre and what is available.
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.
- Answer:
If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development
Talk to your class teacher, school SENCO or school nurse. They will be able to:
- Observe your child in class to get a full picture of your child’s abilities and assess their needs.
- They will be able to put more focused support in place, using a range of different resources, as part of the school day and review their progress.
- Give you some tips and advice to try at home
- The school can make referral to specialist support services such as speech and language if they feel this is necessary.
Things to try:
- Spend time together, one to one, with your child, every day having conversations face to face
- Have some quiet times, with little or no background noise to promote listening skills
- If your child struggles to learn new words make sure you explain new words as you come across them
- Read books and stories together- this introduces speech and language in a fun way ad exposes your child to more language
- Sing songs together – the rhythm of songs helps language learning and it is fun
- Make sure your child can hear- if in doubt ask your school nurse for advice
- If your child needs glasses make sure they wear them