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If you’re looking for ways to educate your little ones at home, there’s a new online resource to help you.
Tiny Happy People is an initiative from BBC Education that aims to help develop young kids’ language skills – and it’s endorsed by the Duchess of Cambridge.
The digital hub has been designed to support parents and carers in developing children’s language from pregnancy to the age of four. So what is it all about – and how can it help you and your kids? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is Tiny Happy People?
Think of it like a digital hub, at the heart of which is a simple message, according to BBC Education: talk to children from as early an age as possible.
There are online activities to try with your kids that aid development – you can filter the activities by the age of your child, so it’s suitable to them. Each one has a short video for parents to watch as well as info on how it boosts their language skills. Have a browse for yourself.
The short films, articles and quizzes cover – in a bitesize way – the science behind brain development. The site also has tips and advice for parents, as well as expert-led Q&As. Oh, and everything’s free!
This follows on from the BBC Bitesize offering for school age children offered to ease the homeschooling burdern on parents through lockdown.
Why has it been launched?
Evidence shows more than one in four children (27%) in England don’t reach the necessary level of literacy development (language, communication and literacy skills) by the time they start primary school, rising to more than one in three (42%) in deprived areas. The picture is similar across all nations of the UK.
Research also shows that once children start behind, they stay behind, affecting performance in school and job prospects, the BBC shared. The resources on Tiny Happy People have been developed with the help of experts in child and language development to make sure parents are being offered the best advice.
How is the Duchess of Cambridge involved?
The Duchess has been part of the project for a number of months, visiting the Tiny Happy People team in London last November for a creative workshop where she worked with the team on some of the video resources and social media content.
To mark the launch, The Duchess also met three families who have been involved in the pilot of Tiny Happy People. “Families and carers are at the heart of nurturing the next generation of happy, healthy adults, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to turn to for advice,” the Duchess said.
“[It’s] an invaluable resource which provides parents and carers with support and tips, as well as simple activities to ensure children develop the language skills they need to have the best possible start in life.
“I am delighted to have been part of its journey and hope families across the UK will enjoy exploring the resources.”
Who else is involved?
Also supporting the initiative are a number of celebs, who are using the activities to build their own infants’ communication skills.
These include: soap stars Jennie McAlpine and Kieron Richardson; singer and farmer JB Gill; former Love Islanders, Jess and Dom Lever; BBC Three presenter Annie Price; and mum blogger Louiuse Pentland.
Want to find out more? Visit the Tiny Happy People hub.