3-4 years: What can I do as a parent? - Services for all
This is for all children and parents – to promote good speaking and listening.
Everything that you do with your child helps them to develop social, emotional and language skills that will prepare them for future learning.
Around the ages of 3 - 5 years it is common to have questions and concerns on how to help prepare your child for school.
You may like additional advice and information on topics ranging from going to the toilet on their own, sharing toys, enjoying books, right through to encouraging speaking and listening skills.
- 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
Reading with your child helps to develop their early literacy and speech and language skills, strengthens your bond with your child and helps to prepare them for school. Children love visiting the library to choose their own books to share with you or other family members at home.
Staffordshire libraries have a huge range of picture books, books for children who are beginning to read and audio books to borrow and e-audio books to download at home or on the go.
Staffordshire libraries offer free storytelling sessions to help encourage a love of a wide range of stories. Stories style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; color: black;"> 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
Stoke 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. In 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:
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:
To promote speech and language development:
- 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