by Adele James | Aug 8, 2011 | Childcare news
Parents should read to their children for 15 minutes each day
Parents should adopt a “five-a-day” approach, with daily activities to help children reach their full potential, a report has said.
Its steps include reading to their child, praising them and talking to them with the television switched off.
The think tank CentreForum says the government should start a national campaign promoting better parenting.
It said there was “dramatic” evidence that providing children with quality care in their early years was crucial.
The report suggests the government should adopt a model similar to the five-a-day scheme which encourages people to eat fruit and vegetables, to give parents manageable steps.
(more…)
by Adele James | Jul 7, 2011 | Childcare news
Government sets out reform of early learning and children’s centres
A new, slimmed down early years curriculum for 0-5s, more focused on making sure children start school ready and able to learn, will be introduced next year under changes set out by Children’s Minister Sarah Teather.
Responding to the Tickell Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the new framework radically reduces the number of early learning goals from 69 to 17. It also focuses on three prime areas of learning critical to making sure children have the foundations for school, and introduces a progress check for every 2 year old in early education so parents and professionals can be confident children are developing well.
As part of wider reforms to Sure Start children’s centres and early learning, the Government is looking at ways to get parents and communities more involved in running children’s centres. New plans to be consulted on will also make it easier for parents to plan and balance their working lives by making the free entitlement to 15 hours of early learning and childcare more flexible.
(more…)
by Adele James | Mar 15, 2011 | Childcare news
New media is changing children’s imaginative play
Children are using their experience of computer games and reality TV shows to give traditional playground games a modern twist, a study suggests.
Researchers found aspects of programmes like the Jeremy Kyle Show and Britain’s Got Talent included in children’s imaginative play.
Far from destroying their imagination, new technologies help to enrich it, the team from London and Sheffield says.
They observed play at two school playgrounds over two years.
(more…)
