EarlyEd has often been able to obtain funding to run free activities and create resources to help parents help their child’s social and developmental skills when they play in parks and open spaces around their home.
EarlyEd’s Wed 24th April’s event has been generously funded through a grant from A W Edwards, the building contractors of the Crows Nest Station to help more children be active and learning.
No matter what your child’s developmental skills are like, playing in parks is an important way to learn new skills. You don’t need a specially designed playground all the time. Really any park will do.
Play in a park or a street scape provides the
- natural challenges that children need to master everyday activities like climbing stairs or rolling down a ramp and
- opportunities to practice and practice the same skill in the same way (especially when a park is close to home).
These environments offer the same opportunities for imaginative play as well. As parents and grandparents, you can help a child’s development by learning new ways yourselves to suggest play.
Is it hard to find something suitable for young children to do in the school holidays?
It is even harder when children find joining in activities challenging.
The Supported Active Play Obstacle course on Wed 24th April is free and designed for the whole family. EarlyEd’s team of educators, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists have worked together to create this event at Ted Mack Civic Park. We use a social story approach that gives visual cues and helps children make the most of their local environment.
Toddlers, preschoolers and children who have just started school are the main age groups we are focussing on, but older children will also be supported to play. Children with visual impairment, motor challenges, autism, hearing loss as well as developmental delay will find this can work for them.
Storytime will be in person
Many of you join our interactive online Storytime on Thursday mornings. As it won’t be online this week Seta will be ending the Supported Active Play Obstacle Course at Ted Mack Park to run a live Storytime. Why not come and meet her in person?
Haven’t heard about Storytime before? Have a look at Seta telling stories here. https://www.earlyed.com.au/startstrongplay/#storytime
Resources for the future
The resource made for the event will stay on our website so families and others can use the ideas in this park and others in the future. Have a look at the type of resources we have already. https://www.earlyed.com.au/startstrongplay/#active-learning
Children learn well when we
- prepare them for what will happen and then give just the right amount of support tailored to their needs to keep them engaged and
- just challenge them enough to be supported with a little guidance.
Members of our team will be there on the day to help prepare and assist everyone to be able to join in. Perhaps your child finds joining in activities challenging. This is a great opportunity for you and your child to be supported with ways to make the most out of active play.
The same opportunities as other children
EarlyEd is committed to finding ways to offer inclusive activities and events for children of all abilities. We are always grateful for grants that support us to be innovative and create new opportunities and resources. Families tell us that it is challenging to join in community activities if their child has delays in development or a disability. They want their child to have access to the same opportunities as other children.
Need advice about supporting inclusion for your child? This event is an opportunity for you to get advice about practical support.
Want to know more about EarlyEd’s free Supported Obstacle Course Event at
North Sydney?
- on Wednesday 24th
- 10.30am – 12pm
- at Ted Mack Park, North Sydney
- for children of all abilities.
