We often hear the term home learning environment, but what do we mean by it?

This is learning environment your child experiences at home with their family. ALL parents are educators of their children, and anyone can do it. It does not require you to be ‘the teacher’ or buy lots of resources. It requires your time and imagination and having lots of fun!

Parents are a child’s first and most enduring educators. Parents and families are the most important people in children’s lives. They have the greatest influence over them, particularly in their early years.

What you do at home as parents has a major impact on social, emotional and intellectual development.

Parents who engage in meaningful activities that encourage thinking and talking to stretch a child’s mind as part of everyday life can enhance their child’s development significantly.

Evidence shows that the below activities have the biggest impact on your child’s learning:

• Reading with and to children, and going to the library
• Singing songs and rhymes
• Going out and about on visits
• Drawing and painting
• Playing with friends
• Playing with letters and numbers

The following activities are important too:

• Listening, talking and thinking – using a family’s strongest language(s) from birth
• Doing real things together, for example: cooking, gardening, helping with the shopping
• Letting the children have a go for themselves
• Imagining and pretending

Suggestions for how to make your home a place that helps with understanding, talking and communication. Click on the drop downs below for activities you can do at home.