The Infant Mental Health Strand were delighted to get our Talk & Play Everyday group started back again in GLAS community garden in May 2021. Talk & Play Everyday is a parent and toddler(12-24mths) group running weekly on Thursday mornings in Ballymun.
Due to Covid 19 restrictions, the group has been reduced to six parent & toddlers and is co-hosted by Global Action Project(GAP) in community garden.
Both the parents and the children are enjoying settling into the group with our welcome songs before we encourage the children to explore the garden and set the theme for the morning session. The structure of the group is predictable yet flexible in order to support the developmental and emotional needs of your growing child.
Themes include:
- Letting your child decide
- Taking turns
- Adding words to describe what your child is doing.
As the name suggests the group has a focus on parents playing with their toddler, who is choosing what, to explore in the garden, and how to play. Parents put words to what their child is doing, supporting language development and relationship building. Parents are recognised as the experts on their own children using the facilitators as supports to observing and interpreting their child’s interests, strengths and unique personality. Facilitators spend time with individual parent/child as well as the group as a whole. Talk and Play Everyday pictures capture this togetherness.
Talk & Play is always recruiting so please get in touch with us directly so we can tell you more about the group and welcome you and your toddler in the future months.
Thanks, Suzanne & Justyne (087 390 5943)