Resources for community playgroups
During the Better Start Bradford programme, we pulled together some helpful resources to help local parents and carers run their own activities, through our very successful Happy Early Years (HEY!) Fund project.
These resources will be useful for you if you’re responsible for running groups in voluntary or community settings.
What makes a great playgroup?
Playgroups are fantastic for helping children improve their language and communication, motor skills and relationship-building skills.
As well as providing an environment for children to have fun and learn, a good playgroup can have the added reward of helping to develop connections between people in the community.
In this article, CBeebies Parenting sets out the key things to think about when setting up your playgroup.
Some activities and key messages to use and share with families
Eight low-cost / no-cost activities for early years settings to use to help families start healthy habits early, from creating 'foody faces' to simple yoga poses.
A series of animated videos featuring everyday Big Little Moments you can share with your babies and toddlers to build their brains. The little moments you share every day make a big difference.
A highly practical booklet and wallchart to help early years settings develop their work around speech, language and communication
A downloadable booklet for families, showing how everything they do together helps your baby’s brain develop. It’s never too early to start - from bump, to babies to toddlers...
A downloadable booklet showing how getting outdoors has lots of benefits for families with young children. It's the perfect place to be physically active, ignite little imaginations, explore and learn.
A series of videos made by parents for parents, developed by our Little Minds Matter project. See how parents and carers can share precious little moments which will help their little ones' brains grow and develop.
Messy Play and Loose Parts Play
Messy play gives young children the freedom to investigate a variety of materials. They will build vocabulary with describing words such as 'slimy', 'wet', 'cold', 'sticky'. It also provides endless opportunities for 'serve and return' interactions and taking turns.
Loose parts are simple everyday things for young children to play with. Combining messy play with loose parts gives young children freedom to experiment in different ways dependent on where their imagination takes them.
Inspiration for outdoor play
Let's get healthy with HENRY
These HENRY top tips and guidance will give you lots of ideas for tasty, healthy snacks for 0-3s that you can provide when you have a break at your sessions.
Babies and young children need plenty of chances to explore the world around them in an active way. Check out these activities via HENRY using everyday items.
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The Happy Early Years (HEY!) Fund enabled parents and carers in the Better Start Bradford area to apply for up to £2,500 to develop ideas and initiatives for local families and their 0-3s.
We've poured our expertise into a range of toolkits and other resources for early years settings, anyone working or volunteering with families with young children, or anyone training the early years workforce.