Virginia McRae with the activity for parents and children to do together.
Parents are being urged to have more conversations with their children.
A parent talking with their child is a powerful tool for building their child’s brains, their language skills and their child’s readiness to start school ready to learn, according to Virginia McRae, a senior speech pathologist and Team Leader of the Southern Children’s Services Team at Peninsula Health
“Having regular conversations throughout the day with your child builds up the number of words the child hears, and helps them develop a larger vocabulary and stronger language skills,” explains Virginia.
Learning starts from birth – in fact 85% of a child’s brain develops in the first 3 years of life.
Virginia says there are lots of opportunities for parents to tune in.
“Talking to your children while you’re doing ordinary things like cooking, shopping and walking the dog each day helps them to learn lots of new words.”
“Tuning into your child and enjoying their company also helps your child to feel loved and builds the parent – child relationship.”
Peninsula Health through consultation with the community developed a special activity for parents and children to do together to encourage parents and children to talk about their favourite moment that day.
“The ‘What was your favourite moment today?’ resource can be stuck on the fridge or used as a placemat, drawn on, cleaned off and used again each day,” says Virginia.
“The idea is that a preschool child draws while talking with their parent about something they’ve enjoyed that day.”
“For babies and toddlers, parents draw or write on the resource as they talk with their child about what they have done together that day. While they are doing this they’re having a conversation, they’re interacting, they’re reflecting on positive experiences and having fun.”
In 2015 the activity was rolled out to kinder teachers, child-care teachers and maternal and child health care nurses to pass on to families. The Children’s Services Team regularly uses the activity in groups and at community days. You can download the activity to do yourself here.
Virginia has worked with children through her role at Peninsula Health for the last 15 years.
“It is so rewarding to work with children and their families, knowing that we can assist in making a difference to their experiences of the world,” says Virginia.
It’s currently Children’s Week, which celebrates the right of children to enjoy childhood, their needs and achievements.
Jessica Mills
JMills@phcn.vic.gov.au
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