Developing strong parental partnerships - Department of Education and working with parents to support the home learning environment - BBC are key aspects of Early Years practice. Practitioners working well together with their families can make a real difference to children’s wellbeing and their future learning and development.
The home is the single most significant environmental factor in enabling children to develop the trust, attitude and skills that will help them to learn and engage positively with the world. A good home learning environment provides the love, security, stimulation, encouragement and opportunities that help children to flourish- a process that begins at birth, if not before. Person:Roberts, 2009
Creating a positive home learning environment
Strong foundations for a positive home learning environment are built from:
- parent/child relationships
- attachments
- interactions
It is tempting, when considering how to support the home learning environment, to head straight for activities to share with parents that they can do at home with their child – but it is important to remember that these foundations matter most.
Relationships
Research has found that the quality of a parent-child relationship during the first three years is fundamental to a child’s later success in school and their longer-term development and wellbeing (O’Connor and Scott, 2007).
A positive home learning environment is created when children are:
- listened to
- responded to
- interacted with from birth
- respected and valued as unique individuals
- cared for in a warm, safe and encouraging atmosphere
Warm, loving relationships - BBC enable children to develop self-control and empathy, both of which impact on success in later life.
Attachments
A secure attachment - unicef.org is related to:
- greater self-confidence
- improved social skills
- higher school achievement
A secure attachment in early life helps children develop empathy and self-control, which are key skills for later interaction and learning.
Secure attachments encourage children to be confident explorers and ready to learn about the world around them, whilst safe in the knowledge that they have a secure base to return to.
Interactions
Early interactions - Department for Education include parents communicating with their young baby / child through smiles, talking, touch and play.
Children’s back-and-forth interactions - BBC from an early age can form foundations for language and mental development. The number and quality of the conversations / interactions they have with adults and other children throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial.
Online training
Training is available to support your work with parents and the home learning environment.
The Home Learning Environment (HLE) set of e-learning modules will support you to:
- understand and recognise the importance of positive relationships between early years providers, parents and children in improving outcomes for children
- develop an increased awareness and understanding of how to support parent / child relationships and build warm, supportive relationships with families
- identify solutions and strategies for engaging parents and supporting them to become more involved with their children’s learning and development
- identify next steps for improving knowledge, practice and / or provision
You can access our interactive online training at a time and place to suit you.
Buy your license through Eventbrite
E - learning training licence
Each setting needs one licence which costs £10 - there are currently 5 training packages covered in this licence.
Licences are purchased for the financial year and will run until 31 March regardless of when the licence is purchased.
Further resources and guidance for practitioners
It is crucial we recognise and accept that parents are not all the same, their aspirations, opinions, experiences, routines, interests, confidence levels, etc. may vary enormously. The approaches which might work to engage one family will not necessarily work for another.
We should seek to empower parents by building on what they already know and can do and by valuing parents' existing strengths, knowledge and experience.
It is vital we start with activities, experiences and opportunities which are relevant and achievable for each of our families.
Tiny Happy People, resources for professionals and volunteers - BBC
School Readiness - Early Years Providers Toolkit
Help your child to develop and learn in their first 5 years with our collection of home learning activities.