EVENT
Home is where the start is
The Alliance invites parents and carers to Home is where the start is, a month-long free online family festival celebrating the power of learning at home
Research shows that the home learning environment is one of the biggest influences on a child's future achievements. Family learning helps young children to become confident and engaged lifelong learners, and in turn, this shared learning allows them to explore new interests, build essential communication skills and develop a sense of belonging.
That's why we're so excited to once again be running Home is where the start is, our free online festival of
fun and learning aimed at families of under-fives – this year, extended across a whole month!
Throughout October, we'll be running a series of online sessions sharing a range of simple, playful ways to help parents and carers support their child's early development.
The event will also focus on the power of storytelling, as well as many other key aspects of family learning from how singing benefits early development to ways we can nurture children's 'thinking brains'. We are also introducing a brand-new course for parents and carers Giving my baby the best start in life, which helps them to support their baby's early development.
To help as many families as possible benefit from these sessions, we will send presentation recordings of each event to those who have signed up, even if they haven't been able to make it on the day.
We know that the partnerships between educators and families are key to empowering parents and carers to nurture learning and develop positive home learning environments. That's why, in addition to our virtual family events, we'll be holding a one-hour virtual session for early years providers at 10.30am on Thursday 1 October on the importance of family learning, exploring how early years settings can actively support the home learning environment.
Want to encourage parents and carers at your setting to celebrate the power of home learning? Share the events listed!
Schedule
Monday 5 October, 1pm - 2pm
Learning together through everyday moments
Guides parents and carers on how being present, playful and responsive can help turn everyday experiences into meaningful opportunities for learning.
Thursday 8 October, 10am - 11am
Discover your storytelling spark!
Invites parents and carers to discover how storytelling can support your child's imagination, language and emotional development, sharing practical tips and techniques to help bring stories to life.
Thursday 8 October, 1pm - 2pm
The power of singing: building brains across languages
Helps parents and carers to discover how singing tells a story and supports language development, whatever language is spoken in the family home.
Thursday 22 October, 10am - 11am
Small steps: big thinking
Enables parents and carers to gain a deeper understanding of how everyday conversations, relationships and routines nurture the development of the strong brain architecture that supports lifelong learning, self-esteem and resilience.
Thursday 29 October, 1pm - 2pm
Words matter
Empowers parents and carers to use positive and encouraging language to help children feel valued and capable, improving their chances of growing up healthy and realising their potential.
*NEW* BEST START COURSE
Part 1: Tuesday 13 October, 1pm – 2pm; Part 2: Tuesday 20 October, 1pm – 2pm
Giving my baby the best start in life
Explores all the important moments in a baby's first months and how they can support them to have the best start possible.
Families can sign up to the family festival for free at bit.ly/U5FamilyFestival26.
Download our resource pack
This year, our Home is where the start is event aligns with Campaign for Learning's Family Learning Festival (3 October – 1 November), which centres around the theme of storytelling and aims to inspire a love of shared learning through storytelling.
Find out more at bit.ly/U5-campaignforlearning.
Every parent or carer who signs up to at least one Home is where the start is event will receive a FREE downloadable resource pack containing practical information, activity ideas and lots of tips on how to support learning and development at home.
Under 5 magazine
The magazine of the Early Years Alliance