Supporting Terrific Two-Year-Olds…..

Giving them the Best Start in the Early Years

Settling in and Feeling Secure

• On the home visit please share your child’s and families interests and needs.
• you are welcome to stay with your child on ‘settling in’ sessions before they start.
• Some children take longer to settle. We work with you to minimise stress.
• some children will need a security object a favourite toy to help them settle.
• Your child’s key worker will spend time with your child to help them develop a sense of belonging and to feel important and valued.

Monitoring Your Child’s Progress

• Please use your child’s home diary or tapestry regularly.  To share your child’s interests, habits, learning and development at home, We will share child’s days in the setting using tapestry and home diaries
• When your child is between 24 and 36 months, we will provide you with a 2yr progress check. Which is also shared with local health visitors.
• Your child’s learning and development is closely monitored and shared with you.
• Some children will need more support to achieve than others. We are dedicated to working in partnership with parents to meet all of our children’s needs.

Feelings and Relationships

• Consistency, routines and clear boundaries are vital in all our lives.
• Young children need support to begin to understand theirs and others feeling.
• Your child’s key person will support your child’s journey; however all our staff are here to nurture them.
• Young children find it challenging to share resources; we are here to model and support turn taking and sharing skills.
• Tears and tantrums are often challenging but perfectly normal.
• Empower your child by offering 2 choices e.g. toast or cereal.

Environments

• Children need lots of space to practise moving in different ways, like running, climbing, balancing, jumping, throwing and rolling.
• Don’t expect your child to sit or wait too long – this is really hard for them at this stage of development
• Your child will need uninterrupted time and space to play and explore as well as quality play time with adults and their peers.
• Ensure furniture and equipment are height appropriate so your child can play at different levels – a sand and water table and / or child-sized table and chair are a great investment at home.

What Your Child May Like To Do

• Explore and discover – offer opportunities both indoors and outside. Some children learn better outdoors.
• Help around the house – offer them a dry, clean cloth so they can help clean etc
• Build using construction toys – use them in the garden, in the sandpit, in the bath etc
• Play physical games (e.g. running, jumping, climbing, throwing).
• Use their imagination in pretend play (e.g. use a block to become a train or pretend to be an animal and make noises, talking – pretending to be someone else while they play)
• Remember – you can over-stimulate your child, they need time to rest too as this is when they process all the new things they have learned and experienced!
• Visit the library.

Learning and Developing

• Your child needs to explore, investigate, discover and play.
• Your child needs you to support them sensitively and know when to help out and when to take a step back.
• Your child will achieve some things quickly and others may take them a little longer – please be patient.
• Your child needs time to repeat and practise their learning.
• Children learn best when stimulated and changed by resources/activities which interest them.

Speech, Language and Communication

• Model language by talking and singing with your child.
• Repeat correct words/sentences back to a child and extend e.g. “yes a bus”, “a big red bus”.
• Recent studies have shown that reading the same book over and over again develops your child’s vocabulary, so if they have a favourite book and love hearing it read to them, do it as much as possible!
• Your child will understand more than they can say.
• Your child’s key person will help you with any concerns.

If English is not your child’s first language then …

• We will value your child’s home language, find out more about it and encourage their attempts to use it
• When using English, use simple language and pronounce words clearly, repeating words often and allowing time to respond. We will do this in our setting too
• Use gestures and visual clues to help your child understand. We will do this in our setting too

Supporting Your Child’s Behaviour

• Your child may not recognise when they have hurt someone or may not understand what ‘sorry’ means. Don’t punish this behaviour, talk to your child and explain what has happened, this will help them learn to recognise if they have hurt someone and how to apologise
• Temper tantrums are a normal part of growing up. Acknowledge your child’s feelings and help them find a better way of dealing with their emotions.
• Remember, your child learns from watching others, they need adults to show them (model) appropriate behaviours, feelings and attitudes
• Please don’t force your child to say ‘sorry’ until they understand the meaning of the world
• Treasure every moment with your precious children.