All the fun things that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development. They have a long-lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress. 

Even when your child is very young and not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. If you make the time every day to do some of the following things with your child, it will make a real difference to their confidence as a young learner: 

• listen and try not to let your child see that you are worried, but that you are listening to their concerns
• work with your child's setting or school and pass on any positive feedback, what’s working well, as well any challenges at home that might be affecting your child. Talk positively about your child's setting and the staff, whenever your child can hear
• talk positively about your child and their progress whenever they can hear
• praise any small steps of progress and all attempts to learn
• look after yourself as all children can be demanding, and worries can be exhausting
• do things together: children and young people with SEND, just like everyone, will learn through play, exercise, social activities, family meals and all the other experiences you can bring them. We all learn best when we are relaxed and having fun.