If you work with children under the age of 5 and are interested in giving them the best start in life, research shows that it is important to work collaboratively with their parents to support their development successfully.
While many parents are not aware of how children develop and learn; do not know the milestones their children are aiming for, or know how their developments can be supported by them, they do know their children best. Therefore, it is very important for practitioners to access this information and share their experience and expertise with parents collaboratively to ensure a high-quality of care.
As children grow up so fast, the more that can be done to support their social, emotional, physical and academeic skills early on, by the adults around them, the more they will achieve in school and in later life.
Research shows that children go through a phenominal rate of growth and development from 0-5 years old. During this time, they are capable of gaining vast amounts of knowledge, interests and skills. Therefore, it is cruicial for parents to support their children’s learning at home too.
To help parents get more involved, practitioners should:
- Talk to parents about what their child does during the day
- Engage in conversations about their child’s likes and dislikes
- Talk to them about their child’s developments and progress
- Encourage parents to share information about what their child likes to do at home
- Share photos and wow moments
- Suggest things that the parent can do at home with their child to support their development.
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