Welcome back to playgroup. We hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year.
Our Christmas parties and Nativity were a great success and all of the children done so well for which we are very proud of them. Thank you for your support and it was lovely to see so many faces at the nativity. We raised £179.00 on our raffle and tombola! This will go towards resources and equipment for the children.
As we settle back into playgroup after such a busy half term before Christmas we wanted to let the children lead on our activities and planning for a couple of weeks, to give them a chance to talk about their Christmas holidays, families and presents. So fa we have heard and seen some lovely stories on Tapestry and from the children. Please do remember to post your own observations onto Tapestry, we love to read them and talk to the children about their home life.
Snack
We really do need snack items brought in every week. If every family could bring in one item, a bunch of bananas, breadsticks, apples, grapes, a cucumber, crumpets, tomatoes, a loaf of bread etc, this all goes in the pot and everyone shares. Feeding 30 children snack everyday takes quite a lot of healthy food! If you can help please do.
Lunches
Please remember not to overfill your child’s lunchbox. Some children become very anxious with the amount of food they have been given. A simple sandwich/crackers, fruit/veg, yoghurt and crisps is plenty. Please remember to name your child’s lunch box and drinks bottle.
Uniform
We now have a small amount of uniform stock. Please speak to a member of staff if you would like to place an order.
Funding Forms
For those children who receive government funding, your claim form has been sent home and will need to be signed and returned to playgroup asap.
Family Tree
Our family tree is looking a little bare. Please can you send in a photograph of your family. This is a great talking point with the children.
Allergies/Health and Medical Needs
Please remember if your child’s health/medical needs change to inform a member of staff.
Our Focus for this Newsletter is ‘Reading with your child’
The Importance of Reading to Your Children
It’s undeniable that a child’s reading skills are important to their success in school, work, and life in general. And it is very possible to help ensure your child’s success by reading to them starting at a very early age.
7 Benefits of Reading to Children
Reading aloud with children can significantly benefit your child’s life. Some benefits reading to children include:
- Supported cognitive development
- Improved language skills
- Preparation for academic success
- Developing a special bond with your child
- Increased concentration and discipline
- Improved imagination and creativity
- lifelong love of reading
Reading daily to young children, starting in infancy, can help with language acquisition, communication skills, social skills, and literacy skills. This is because reading to your children in the earliest months stimulates the part of the brain that allows them to understand the meaning of language and helps build key language, literacy and social skills.
Reread your child’s favourite stories as many times as your child wants to hear them. Choose books and authors that your child enjoys.
Sit close together and get comfy! You could encourage your child to hold the book themselves and turn the pages. Use funny voices, puppets or props to bring the story alive.
Visit the local library together. It is fun choosing new books to read. Keep an eye out for special story events at the library or local bookshops that you can join in with.
Look at the pictures and talk about them. For example, ‘Can you find a bird or a cat?’, ‘What else can you see?’, ‘What are the children playing? Have you played that before?’
Encourage family and friends to share books with your child. The more your child sees you and others reading, the more they will want to read too
To help your child develop their vocabulary, talk to your child as much as possible about what you are doing. Ask them about their day. What have they been doing? What was their favourite thing? What games did you play today?
A story sack is a great way to get your child talking about a story. They are bags that contain the story itself, alongside a variety of items linked to the story. It could be the story CD, a related nonfiction book, puppets, models or objects that are in the story and a related activity.