Family Connects are one-off online events providing an opportunity to connect with other parents and carers via Zoom and learn about topics relevant to families and children aged 0-5. Plus you will share ideas in how to support children’s early education and each other.
The Connect sessions are free thanks to funding from the Department of Education.
Building babies' brains
Thursday 20 March, 10am - 11am
Did you know that in the first years of a child’s life their brains develop rapidly? In this Family Connect session we'll discuss children's early brain development and explore ideas to actively engage your child through everyday activities like playing, reading and being there when they feel stress. We'll share information and ideas to support you to help your baby develop a healthy brain.
Co-regulation
Wednesday 26 March, 1pm - 2pm
Join us for this session with Dr Gemma Goldenburgh, a psychologist and education expert with two decades of experience working in nursery and school settings. In this session, Dr Goldenburgh will talk about the research into how children’s and caregiver’s body rhythms tune into each other. We'll also discuss positive ways in which caregivers can scaffold a child’s behaviour, by helping to create stable rhythms, and how children’s and caregiver’s negative moods can influence one another.
Building resilient children
Wednesday 2 April, 10am - 11am
Would you like to delve into the significance of resilience in children and explore how, as families, we can contribute to its development? Join us for this session, where we will explore the concept of resilience, its developmental aspects in children, and practical strategies to support their resilience-building journey.
Supporting and understanding behaviour
Tuesday 15 April, 6pm - 7pm
In this session we try to define behaviour and look to delve into some of the influences and functions of children’s behaviour with tips, advice and information about how you can support this, and finally rounding things up with a discussion around how you can support your child's behaviour.
How babies communicate beyond words
Tuesday 6 May, 10am - 11am
In this Family Connect session we discover how language is so much more than the words that we say. Babies use their faces, their bodies, their babbles and their cries to communicate their wants, needs and desires, and to interact with others around them. We will focus on how adults can recognise and respond to the many ways that babies communicate before words, and support early language skills in the home learning environment.
Building babies' brains
Thursday 15 May, 1pm - 2pm
Did you know that in the first years of a child’s life their brains develop rapidly? In this Family Connect session we'll discuss children's early brain development and explore ideas to actively engage your child through everyday activities like playing, reading and being there when they feel stress. We'll share information and ideas to support you to help your baby develop a healthy brain.
Exploring schemas
Monday 16 June, 6pm - 7pm
Have you noticed your child likes to throw food from their high chair at mealtimes? Or separate the different foods on their plate? Or maybe they like to move things from one place to another?
It could be that your child is exploring a schema. Schemas are repeated patterns of play which help children to learn and make sense of the world.This session will explore what schemas are and the things you may observe in your children, as well as consider ways that you can support your child with simple activities you can do in the home.
Moving on up to school
Monday 23 June, 1pm - 2pm
Join us for this family connect session where we will share tips and ideas to support you and your child in preparing for school.
We'll explore fun learning activities that can be easily replicated at home to support your child’s learning and development, and discuss top tips to help your child’s transition to school to run smoothly.
Supporting children's learning
Tuesday 8 July, 1pm - 2pm
Join us as we discuss how you can support your child’s development within the home learning environment. During this Family Connect, we will explain what the home learning environment is and why it is so important. We will also share ideas about how you can use everyday objects and experiences to enhance your child’s learning.
Process over product - simple low cost activities to support children's learning
Wednesday 16 July, 1pm - 2pm
Children learn through play, but they learn best through the kind of play that allows them to explore and experiment, where ‘it's not about the destination, but the glory of the ride’. Join us for this Family Connect session where we will explore ways to let children's imaginations run wild, using free and found resources from around the home.
Songs, stories and rhymes - supporting early communication
Wednesday 23 July, 6pm - 7pm
“Knowing more words, makes you smarter!” In this session we explore the importance of speech and language development and how you can support your children’s early communication.
Join us to explore why communication and language development is so important in the early years, and how you can encourage this at home with songs, stories and rhymes packed with lots of information, ideas, and tips!
Supporting children's learning
Tuesday 8 July, 1pm - 2pm
Join us as we discuss how you can support your child’s development within the home learning environment. During this Family Connect, we will explain what the home learning environment is and why it is so important. We will also share ideas about how you can use everyday objects and experiences to enhance your child’s learning.
Building babies' brains
Tuesday 26 August, 1pm - 2pm
Did you know that in the first years of a child’s life their brains develop rapidly? In this Family Connect session we'll discuss children's early brain development and explore ideas to actively engage your child through everyday activities like playing, reading and being there when they feel stress. We'll share information and ideas to support you to help your baby develop a healthy brain.
Free resources for families
