The ‘prime’ areas lay the foundation to all later learning, therefore it is vital that we prioritise supporting children’s development in these areas.
Communication and Language
These are fundamental skills which, if nurtured well in the early years, can set all children up to be successful learners. By regularly having reciprocal conversations with your child, reading with them every day and commenting on the world around you, you will be supporting their communication and language development.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
In their early years children need lots of opportunities to develop their social skills such as building relationships, taking turns, managing their own feelings and adapting to new situations. Independence is also really important for future learning, so encouraging your child to use the toilet, dress and eat by themselves has great benefits. By providing these types of opportunities you will support your child’s personal, social and emotional development.
Physical Development
Children also need to develop certain physical skills in their early years, to ensure they are successful learners in later life. They need a wide range of opportunities to practise their gross motor (large movement) and fine motor (small movement) skills, such as by throwing and catching, climbing, using a knife and fork or snipping with scissors. by providing these opportunities you will support the development of their physical skills.
