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Catch Me Reading
Little readers, big adventures! Reading with your child is great for developing their love of books – snuggling up with your child and some books can be a special part of your routine! When we first become parents, something we quickly discover is how little time we have to do the things we used to…
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Interactive Books
Little readers, big adventures! Exploring books with your child at the earliest point helps develop their communication and language skills, for example – taking turns in a conversation, eye contact, listening and attention skills, and building vocabulary. Interactive books are books with flaps, tabs, feely materials, or sound panels. They are great for babies and…
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Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service
The focus of this service is making sure that everyone in Essex has the best possible start in life through meeting the identified needs of children, young people and families. The Healthy Family Team offer routine contacts to ALL families living in Essex within the first 3 years. These are as follows: These visits will…
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Talk, Listen, Cuddle Nursery Rhyme Cards
Research shows that children who know 8 nursery rhymes by heart at age 4, are likely to be more confident at spelling and reading by age 8! Essex parents were invited to vote for their 6 most favourite nursery rhymes, and we made them into Nursery Rhyme cards! Each card has a rhyme on the…
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50 Things to Do Before You’re 5
The ultimate checklist with ‘low cost no cost’ ideas! Playing together is one of the most important things you can do with your child to help their learning. The time you spend playing together will help them learn all sorts of things – from counting and writing, to exploring and making new friends! Here are…
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Phonics
‘Sounds’ like fun! Phonics are the sounds that letters make, and is a method to help children learn to read and spell words. ‘Formal’ teaching of phonics takes place in schools and is made up of different phases which children learn when they are ready. Each school may use a different programme, but essentially the…
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Read With Me Under a Tree
A celebration of rhymes, books and the great outdoors! In Summer 2023, we teamed up with Essex Libraries and Essex Country Parks to bring you ‘Read With Me Under a Tree’ borrow bags. The bags included story books, a themed activity sheet and den building kit to help you get outside and have fun! To…
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Motivating Boys to Write
Positive pen power! There has been lots of research showing there is a clear difference between boys interest in writing and that of girls. Lots of boys tend to be more physically active and avoid table top activities, therefore we need to think creatively about how to encourage boys to write. Variety is key to…
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Peg, Thread, Write
Grip and grow! Almost every interaction you have with your child is preparing them to become a reader and writer. Your child has been learning to write since before they could hold a pencil or crayon! Remember when, as a baby, your child first discovered their toes, trailed their fingers through their food, or scratched…
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Enjoying Bedtime Stories
Little readers, big adventures! Reading with your child offers a rich opportunity for quality time and learning together. It can also be a relaxing activity when winding down for bedtime. While sharing stories with your child you are creating a close and personal experience, as well as developing their language, vocabulary and communication skills. “You…
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Mark Making
Celebrate the scribble! It may look like scribble to us, but early scribbling and ‘playing at writing’ is an important step on your child’s journey to becoming a writer. Your child will know what these marks mean and will love to tell you about them! Before being able to hold a small pencil, your child…
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Essex Libraries
Find out what’s on at your local library! Baby and Toddler Rhyme Time Baby and toddler rhyme time sessions run in all Essex libraries. You and your child will get to share rhymes and learn new songs – you can also refresh yourself with some old rhymes that you may have heard when you were…
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Sharing Stories
Little readers, big adventures! While sharing stories with your child, you may not realise it but you are developing their language, vocabulary and communication skills. You don’t have to be a great reader yourself, just sharing stories with your little one will make a difference and let their imagination run wild! Stories are a great…