Basic Skills Agency
www.niace.org.uk
The Early
Years and Primary Resources Catalogue June 2007 is full of
resources for practitioners in early years settings to help involve
parents/carers in their children’s learning. It includes free
resources on the following topics:
- Language and Play
- Talk and Listen Together pack
- Fun with outdoors; role play; games; stories; signs; stories;
and rhymes
- Talk to me!
The British Association for Early
Childhood
www.early-education.org.uk/
This is a leading organisation for early years practitioners and
parents and has free leaflets on such topics as ‘Making their Mark
– Children’s early Writing’ and ‘Toddlers and Very Early
Learning’.
Bookstart
www.bookstart.co.uk/
This is a nationally based organisation that works through locally
based organisations to give a free pack of books to babies and
includes guidance notes for parents. The 0-2 pack includes two
books; a rhyme placement mat; a Surestart leaflet; a booklist; and
an invite to join your local library. Most are given by Health
Visitors at the eight-month health check.
There are separate packs for 12-24 month olds (Bookstart +) and
3-4 year olds (Bookstart treasure chest) that include crayons and
notepad. Booktouch is a resource for visually impaired
children.
Literacy Trust
www.literacytrust.org.uk
‘Talk to Your Baby’
These are resource sheets of quick tips to encourage practitioners
and parents to help children develop good talking and listening
skills. They are available in 13 languages. Examples include:
‘Sharing songs’, ‘Dummies and Talking’ and ‘Playing with your
Baby’.
Including Men
www.includingmen.com/
(Fathers Plus resources)
Fathers Plus resources is a range of booklets, posters and leaflets
detailing the importance of a father’s role in the life of his
children. For example, ‘A Question of Balance: Including Fathers in
Services’ (£9.95); ‘Dads Matter’ booklet (99p each for up to 19,
79p each for 20 – 100); ‘My Dad Matters’ (five A5 colour posters
for £14.95); and ‘Dads and Breastfeeding’ booklet (99p each for up
to 20).
BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/
This website has many tips on how a parent/carer can help a baby
learn, including ‘Listening and talking to your baby’ and
information on child development stages. The ‘play and do’
storybook section enables young children to interact online and
complete a simple story about, for example, ‘A day with teddy’.
Other interactive stories and rhymes are available on the CBeebies
link. There is also a star chart to encourage good behaviour that
can be printed.
Campaign for
Learning
www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk/cfl/index.asp
The relevant links here are to the Family Learning website,
particularly Family Learning Weekend. There are many downloadable
intergenerational resources and activities, such as work with dads;
model making through junk; outdoor activities; music; and Skills
for Life (literacy, language and numeracy) ideas. There is also a
useful downloadable funding directory available.
Department for Children, Schools and
Families (DCSF)
www.dcsf.gov.uk
‘Baby Power’ – www.readon.org.uk
‘Baby Power’ is about how to give babies real learning power – a
practical guide for parents, relatives and carers (£4.99). Order by
ringing 0870 155 7222
Family Learning Programmes
These Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded programmes are
specifically designed to enable adults and children to learn
together; or to enable parents to better understand how to support
their children’s learning.
Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy
programmes (FLLN)
http://skillsforfamilies.excellencegateway.org.uk/
These programmes aim to help parents improve their own
skills in order to better equip them to help their children. The
programmes tend to focus on families in which children are not
achieving as much as they could do. Programmes are delivered in the
following formats:
- Tasters (2-4 hours): ‘Play and Language’ - which stresses the
importance of play, and ‘Literacy and Numeracy workshops’ - for
parents with children of 3+.
- Introductory programmes (9-13 hours including an assessment of
the parent’s skills)
- ‘Play and language’, Skills for Families Springboard
- Short programmes (30-49 hours) - which enable parents to gain
qualifications
- Early Start – Baby Talk 0-1 year; Small Talk 1-2 years; Talk
Together 2-3 years; Playing with Language 3-5 years.
- Intensive programmes (72-96 hours) - which will give parents an
opportunity to take a national test in literacy or numeracy.
Read on Write Away (ROWA)
www.rowa.org.uk/
These are resources developed in Derbyshire and include CD ROMs of
‘Making Story Sacks’ (£50) and ‘From Day 1’ – a resource on how to
communicate with your baby (£22.50).
ICAN
www.ican.org.uk/
An organisation that promotes the importance of communication in
babies and young children’s lives; ICAN gives tips and advice on
how to develop positive communication. Examples of resources are
‘Chatter Matters’ a DVD illustrating key points in daily
communication with examples of parents and their children – one
copy is available at no charge; and ‘Learning to Talk - Talking to
Learn’ - a DVD (one free copy for families or £3.00 for
practitioners).
Learning Through Landscapes
www.ltl.org.uk/
An organisation that promotes the importance of the development of
outdoor space through growing and exploring potential, and how out
door play is important in children’s lives. Early years resources
include ‘Creating a Space to Grow’ a book that is an in depth guide
to developing the outdoor environment (£16) and ‘Out Doors for
Every One’ a book that illustrates the benefits of out doors
activities (£16).