A new term is beginning here at Talking Tots. It's an exciting time as we welcome old friends and new faces to our classes.
Activity classes are a fantastic opportunity to make new friends, have fun, and boost your child's development but the crucial thing to remember is quality matters more than quantity. If your child is always haring off to one class or another, they will probably be too tired and demotivated to get the best out of any of those activities.
Look for one or two activity classes per week, that fit in with your schedule and which offer a progressive programme. Young children love repetition, but a good activity class combines repetition with new and more challenging activities, to keep your child learning AND having fun.
You should feel happy and confident that your activity class leader is able to deliver the class effectively, while bringing out the best in each child. A good leader knows how to nurture shy children while also capturing the attention of livelier toddlers! You should feel confident that these are people who will bring out the best in your child. With that in mind, Talking Tots spoke to the marvellous Sue Atkins, parenting coach and author of Raising Happy Children, to see what advice she has on choosing the right toddler activity class for your child.
She says: "Well run and well designed classes represent more than just an opportunity to entertain your kids for an hour! They can make a long-lasting and profound contribution to life long learning and help develop important social skills. As a teacher, I could always tell when children had been to a well-run toddler class. But don't think you have to spend a fortune - choose carefully and don't forget that you are your child's best teacher."
Sue encourages parents to be really clear about what they want from an activity class and only choose those that feel right.
Questions she thinks you should ask before signing up for any class are:
* What skills am I looking to develop or encourage in my child?
* Are the people running the courses and classes professional?
* Would you be happy to leave your children in the care of these people if you had to?
* Do they have a progressive programme that builds up as your child develops and matures in skills?
* Are the classes too long, too short, badly organised?
* Can you see the syllabus for the classes in advance?
* Is the atmosphere full of playing, exploring and learning together in a fun and relaxed atmosphere?
* If you had to describe the people running the classes what would you say (as this helps you to clarify your intuition and gut feelings)
* Would you feel happy recommending them to other parents?
* Are your children enjoying the classes, what are they learning exactly and are they learning happily and easily?
So why not come along and try a Talking Tots class? Talking Tots unique classes, which follow the developmental stages of language, are bursting with fun ideas and games! Watch your child’s language skills blossom, as they enjoy a variety of exciting and exclusive Talking Tots activities!
Sprites…boosting early chatter This class looks at fundamental skills such as social confidence, sharing & turn taking and listening & attention skills. There's lots of fun & action packed structured games, with exciting props, singing and rhymes. At Sprites, we focus on fun games and carefully-designed activities that encourage your little one’s natural desire to communicate, by building his vocabulary and helping him to understand and talk about the world around him.
Sprinters… building confident communication At Sprinters, children take part in games and interactive activities that will build their social confidence and listening skills. Our exclusively-designed, vibrant pictures and props also help to develop your child’s narrative ability and build their vocabulary.
Sparklers… paving the way for school In this pre-school year, children may enjoy playing with sounds, and will begin to join in with word games such as finding rhyming words and identifying the beginnings of common names and objects. Sparklers builds on this natural interest in words and sounds to boost a child’s pre-literacy skills and help prepare them for the classroom. At the same time, our friendly, supportive classes promote vital social skills such as listening, turn-taking and sharing.
Visit us here and see if there's a class near you!
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