Supporting Transition with a Weekly Calendar

When introducing a new routine, visual support is particularly important as children have a lot to get their heads around! For children starting preschool or primary school we recommend using a weekly visual calendar.

EducationSarah BillinghamJune 24, 2019special needs, early years, communication, interaction, speech and language, starting school, starting nursery, transition, visual supportComment

Great books to share ahead of school transition

Reading stories about school is a fun, non-threatening way to help children to begin to think about what school might be like. Talking about relatable characters, rather than themselves, may help them to gain some understanding before talking about their own feelings. There are so many lovely children’s books on this topic, here are a few of our favourites to share whilst preparing for transition into education.

EducationSarah BillinghamJune 1, 2019special needs, early years, communication, interaction, speech and language, starting school, starting preschool, starting nursery, reading, sharing books, children's booksComment

Why use signing with children in the early years?

To some degree we all use natural gesture to support our spoken communication. Signing builds on this by providing a tool which supports communication and interaction.

EducationSarah BillinghamMay 18, 2019special needs, early years, communication, interaction, speech and language, signing, MakatonComment

Top 5 Toys for Early Turn Taking

Turn taking is a valuable skill which supports the development of early social interaction and communication skills. Developing an understanding of reciprocation through the exchange of two way communication is a vital foundation for shared attention and conversation skills later on.

EducationSarah BillinghamMay 7, 2019early literacy, numeracy, pre writing, bilateral skills, special needs, early years, fine motor, turn taking, communication, interaction, speech and languageComment