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Learning at home
Children learn from the moment they are born as they begin to absorb information and make sense of their world. As well as providing the basics for growth and development: food, comfort and security, parents also provide stimulation through everyday activities, games, rhymes and language that help a child to learn. Many of these activities are part of everyday life - preparing and eating meals together, doing the washing, shopping, watching TV, visiting friends and family - but for young children they are opportunities for discovery and learning.
"85% of the language we use as adults is in place by the time we are five years old and 50% is in place by the time we are three years old."
This emphasises the importance of parents and the home environment in supporting children's learning and development. Mostly this happens naturally as part of family life. Parents want the best for their children and do what they can to achieve this.
However, once children start school it is not always easy to know how best to help your child. As children grow older it is easy to forget the strong influence that the home and the community still have on their learning and education. After all children only spend 15% of their time in school.
Schools can do a lot to make the links between what is being taught in school and learning opportunities that exist at home and in the community. This section looks at how parents can be helped to continue their children's learning at home.
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