Major studies have shown that talking and playing at home are key factors in a child’s development. This sort of activity is sometimes called home learning activity.
“The family represents the first and probably most influential learning context where very young children typically acquire language, knowledge, skills, and behaviours. This has the potential to shape their readiness for school, attitudes toward learning, and their later academic attainment.”
The activities listed below have all been shown to boost children’s language development at two-years-old and also positively influence their later literacy skills and even their educational attainment.
- Sharing books and stories - telling stories and talking about pictures in books helps children to learn and understand new words and also develop a love of reading.
- Singing songs and rhymes - singing songs and rhymes together teaches children to predict language structures and develops their vocabulary.
- Playing with letters and sounds - playing games with the shapes and sounds of letters is a fun way of introducing children to language and early reading.
- Setting up a play date - babies and young children learn through play. Playing together helps children develop the skills they need to communicate well and socialise, especially when they start going to nursery and school.
- Getting out and about - when you go out for a walk or you’re at the supermarket, help children to spot and recognise the signs and words around them. This encourages talk.
- Painting and drawing - making marks and scribbles with a lots of different materials allows children to express themselves, helps their muscles develop and supports early writing.
- Using the library - parents and children can borrow books for free and attend storytelling and rhyme groups.
By enjoying these fun activities together at home, you will learn more about your child and you will be greatly supporting the development of their communication, language, literacy, emotional and social skills. Take a look at the downloads on this page for some activities and tips for supporting your child's language development at home.