Epworth Playgroup
Project: 22 Pre-pre school places
Area: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
Epworth Playgroup is situated in the grounds of Epworth Methodist Church in one of the most deprived wards in Portadown. Over the last year the Playgroup has been funded to deliver the Eager and Able to Learn (EAL) programme to 22 pre pre-school children. EAL places a particular emphasis on physical movement with a series of developmental movement and play activities for settings to use.
The programme encourages parents to explore play activities with their children in the home environment through the home-based element. The workshops and activities below are examples of the EAL approach to parental involvement in child development.
Parents and children were encouraged to play together in sessions such as dough making and music and movement. These sessions were then used as the basis to explore child development.
All parents were emailed supporting notes on child development areas such as Cross-Lateral Development, Vestibular Development and Proprioceptive Development (stages of child co-ordination) from the Early Years "Service Design Manual". This helped to explain how each learning experience was supporting their child's development and to offer ideas on how each activity could be extended or explored in a different way at home.
The final parent workshop focused on parental wellbeing. With the help of Healthcare Professional, Christine Magowan, parents were reminded of the 5 Steps to Wellbeing. A video was also shared of Siobhan O'Neill, Northern Ireland's Health and Wellbeing Champion, in which she reminded parents of how to support their child's emotional and mental health, whilst also reminding parents of their need for self-care. To finish the session, parents enjoyed a period of gentle exercise, encouraging all parents to take some time for themselves.
