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How the BBC’s Tiny Happy People can help you and your team support parents and encourage playtime at home

As an early educator, you know there’s a lot more to child’s play than just having fun. It’s a key way that babies and children learn, both in your setting and at home. Yet some of the families you work with may feel anxious about how to play with their child. The BBC’s Tiny Happy People website is a free resource you can share with mums, dads and carers to help boost their confidence and give them easy ways to play. Packed with activity ideas, facts about child development and tips and advice, all the content is rooted in evidence and developed with an expert team of senior practitioners including a dedicated Language Advisory Group (LAG).

“Tiny Happy People acts like a conduit between the practitioner and the parent”, says Gaynor Rice, a lecturer in Caring Services at Loughborough College. “Anyone who works in early years understands that play is central to early learning and development. But some parents may worry, ‘Am I giving my child the right kind of play?’ This is where Tiny Happy People slides in beautifully and reveals everyday opportunities for parents to play with their child at home without any need for special toys or equipment. It also gives practitioners fresh ideas to use in their setting.”

Tools for Talking 

Tiny Happy People has a simple aim: to tackle the word gap and improve language and communication skills in children under five. Along with practical ideas for play, the website also has a ‘Tools for Talking’ resource you can share with families. Developed by LAG member Dr Danielle Matthews from the University of Sheffield, the downloadable poster shares simple techniques for supporting language development. There’s also a ‘Tools for Talking’ video section on the website. “Practitioners can use the videos in two ways”, explains Dr Matthews.

“They can be a primer on the different aspects of language development and a way of tuning into a child's level and helping them up to the next one. Secondly, they can form partnerships with parents and raise awareness of the importance of talking with babies and young children in an accessible way. Parents and carers are generally keen but don't always have the ideas or high-quality resources at their fingertips so a few pointers to ‘Tools for Talking’ can really help. Many settings have an important role to play here as parents often have a trusting relationship with those who regularly care for their children. This can help to build bridges and introduce resources in a supportive way.” 

Making the most of play

Tiny Happy People works closely with early educators to make sure the content is useful. Aimi Drechsler, Head of Childcare and Education at The Early Years Academy in Derby says, “Don’t spend time trying to reinvent the wheel, the hard work is done for you! Tiny Happy People provides us with important content and information to share with our families which helps build parent partnership. In a time when the early years sector is up against it and under a huge strain, the content from Tiny Happy People is one less job to do. We would 100% recommend it to any early years setting and any practitioner/educator who wants to deepen their knowledge and understanding of child development and build partnerships with parents in a quick and easy way."

A visual aid

You can signpost families to videos on Tiny Happy People that will reinforce your advice about using play to boost their child’s language skills. “Early years practitioners can use Tiny Happy People articles or videos as little bits of ‘homework’ for parents”, says Alys Mathers, a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist. “They can explain what they’ve done in their setting that day and then give parents a link to one of the videos and suggest they try doing the same activity at home too.”

So when it comes to play and the home environment, and in your setting, why not make Tiny Happy People your new go-to. Gaynor adds, “I teach early years practitioners and I tell them all about BBC Tiny Happy People because it’s so easy to access and it’s all there waiting for them. We all run out of ideas from time to time and it’s good to have a resource like this to go to.”