Today, the Department for Education launches their new campaign Hungry Little Minds which provides valuable information and resources for parents to boost their children’s language and literacy development with fun, everyday activities.
This welcomed campaign responds to the compelling evidence that early language is a primary indicator of child well-being. Health visitors are well aware that the early years provide a critical opportunity for building healthy, resilient children, with positive early experiences shaping outcomes throughout the life-course. Crucially, the resources recognise the most important role that parents play in their child’s development – particularly their language development, which starts before birth and is significantly shaped in the earliest years of life. Health visitors are ideally placed to support the reach of these important messages through their crucial work with parents and children as part of the Healthy Child Programme.
The three year Hungry Little Minds campaign, launched with social media and online adverts, aims to help parents understand that they have a massive impact on their child’s learning and that reading, playing and chatting with them is a simple thing they can do to help them develop even when they are too young to say much back. The campaign provides lots of simple tips and activities that parents can slot into their routine and that children love.
Parents can access tips and activities from https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/ and also search for activities in their area using a new postcode finder service.
