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Fifty things to do before you’re five
14/07/2021
Project launched to help children in Oxfordshire develop
Just in time for the summer holidays, parents and carers are being given suggestions of 50 things to do with their children before they reach the age of five. It’s part of a new early language development scheme from Oxfordshire County Council.
Being able to communicate effectively supports children’s mental health and wellbeing, their self-confidence and the forming of friendships in the early years, as well as being the backbone of later literacy development.
The initiative uses a free downloadable phone app to provide families with a list of activities designed to help their child’s pre-school development. There will be an emphasis on parent-child interaction to assist with speech in the under fives.
Councillor Liz Brighouse, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Youth Services, said: “This exciting initiative is part of the county council’s school readiness work, supporting families and nurseries to enable children to have all the ingredients they need from birth to develop their early language skills.
“There are so many wonderful and rewarding ways to interact with your child, from singing nursery rhymes, dancing, telling stories about everything you do together, jumping in puddles and skipping to the shops and nursery.”
Each suggested activity will be no cost, or low cost. Suggested activities include making mud pies and looking at birds and other wildlife.
The ‘50 things to do before you’re five’ app will also promote local activities and experiences to young families – with links to local venues and events. It will offer notifications of important dates and reminders, such as registering with a local dentist and applying for a nursery and school place. It contains information, guidance and supporting resources that allow parents to build a private digital memory bank of their child’s special moments.
Oxfordshire County Council’s project team aims to boost the confidence of parents and carers, showing that learning through play is a fun and effective teaching method, increasing the language and skills of children before they enter school.
Jennie Perry, Oxfordshire County Council’s project lead, said: “Fifty things to do before you’re five caters for different abilities, interests and ages, from very young babies to toddlers and children about to turn five.
“It supports pre-school development in a lot of areas, with an overriding message for parents and carers. If you work on speech, language and communication skills in the under fives, it will have a massively positive effect on the rest of their lives.”
Banbury parent Steph Lella said: “I think the app is fantastic, there are so many different low cost and free options for both at home and out and about. I especially love that the app suggests how you can adapt activities to suit all children.”
Find out more about “50 things to do before you’re five” here.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam