On Tuesday 17 January over 370 adults and 230 babies attended Baby’s First Cinema at the Midlands Arts Centre, organised by First Words Together in partnership with Birmingham Forward Steps.
Two 30-minute animated films Room on the Broom and Superworm, based on the children's picture books, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler were shown to throughout the day. Parents and guardians were invited along with their 0-2’s, to watch the films in a calm and relaxed environment with soft lighting levels and lowered sound.
Families also enjoyed short presentations from the First Words Together team who shared their top tips for developing their little ones speech and language, and highlighted the importance of sharing stories for children’s early language development.
A very special guest, The Gruffalo was on hand to meet the babies once the films had finished and parents were able to collect a book of their own from Birmingham Stories, as well as having the opportunity to chat with speech and language therapists from Birmingham Forward Steps who could provide advice for their baby or toddlers development.
The First Words Together programme helps little ones learn to talk through play, stories, songs and more – as well as supporting parents to meet other parents in their local area. The five talking tips help little ones get talking and are demonstrated at a series of free sessions for families with children under two.
Throughout the day, 375 free early years books were gifted to families at the end of the screenings, along with information on free sessions at their local children’s centres and suggested methods to practice each of the talking tips at home. Over 150 adult books were gifted to parents and guardians too!
"My friend told me about this event but at the beginning I was really sceptical – a cinema room with small kids doesn’t sound too good BUT it was so so so much better than I thought! I didn’t even know that my kid can sit in one place for a half hour! It was such a magical experience for her and for me because I could spend this time with her! And now we can read a story which she has seen on a big screen because of the adorable gift we got! Massive thanks for everyone who made this day so special for all of us! We can’t wait to be a part of the next one!"
Attendee
If you’re a parent or guardian and would like to find a First Words Together session near you visit the Birmingham Forward Steps website. To discover our series of tips to help your toddler learn their first words, alongside video demonstrations, visit this webpage.
