Boost your child's speech, language and communication with Hungry Little Minds
Hungry Little Minds is the new Department for Education campaign empowering parents and carers to engage their children (aged 0-5) in positive activities and behaviours that will boost their communication, language and literacy development.
The three-year campaign recognises the massive impact parents have on their child’s learning. Reading, playing and chatting are simple things you can do to help your children develop - even when they are too young to say much back!
'Early learning’ shouldn't be seen as a chore - far from it. In fact:
- It takes little time
- Can happen anywhere
- Is easily interwoven with everyday tasks.
And ultimately, it is as rewarding for parents and carers as it is for their children.
What activities should I do?
Children love it when you chat, play and read with them - it doesn't matter if they are too young to understand! Whatever the time and wherever you are, you can turn almost anything into a game. And every little thing you do together will help set them up nicely for the day they start school.
The Hungry Little Minds campaign provides lots of ideas that can help boost your child’s learning. You can slot them into your routine and your children will love them. Such as:
- Play ‘I spy’ on the bus with them and you can see their imaginations light up
- Talk to your child about what has happened so far in the day – for example, “We went to the shops this morning, didn’t we? We bought some apples.” And talk about what is going to happen next – “After lunch we’ll do the washing up”
- Look at picture books together. With each new page, give your child time to point out things to you and talk about what they can see
Visit the Hungry Little Minds website for simple tips and activities, or to find out what’s available where you live.
