Dear friend,

The new term is now upon us – and so we’ve prepared a checklist of things to do – especially for toddler groups. I hope you find it useful.

There’s also got some exciting news about the future of the Playtime initiative to tell you, along with a funny article by Richard Hardy about his time as a (male) toddler group leader.

And of course we have ‘Small talk’, the regular printable page for parents, and news and craft ideas sent in by you – keep sending them in!

Best wishes for the new term!

Naomi Buckler, Care for the Family
www.careforthefamily.org.uk/playtime

PS Do keep sending in your craft ideas, questions and comments. Email me at naomibuckler@cff.org.uk - it's always great to hear from you!

Have you been using the time in the summer holidays to get everything sorted for the toddler group new term, or are you just about to start panicking? Either way, here’s a checklist to help you get everything ready on time…

We’ve also got an audio clip of me talking at the 2008 Playtime conference on how to prevent cliques and make your group more welcoming.

Listen here

For some time, we’ve been thinking over the future of Care for the Family’s Playtime initiative. And it has become increasingly evident that the vast majority of people who receive this email newsletter are church groups, who want more help in knowing how they can support and engage with parents in their community.

At the same time, Care for the Family has recently launched ‘Engage’, an initiative which is aimed at helping churches to engage and connect with their community.

As pastor of a local Baptist church, I was always glad that we had a pretty successful parent and toddler group with some 60 or so participants. I was also glad that I never had to visit it! From my perspective at that time, it contained what for me as a male minister was a lethal cocktail: all those small children and women!

Then quite out of the blue, I found myself having to take a lead in the group if I didn’t want it to close.

Here's the latest news...

Free resources from Scripture Union

You’ll find some excellent training articles about working with Under 5s on the Scripture Union Light website as free downloads. Find out more about Scripture Union resources here. You’ll have to register, but it’s free and only takes a minute.

(Thank you to Claire Wells for telling us about this.)

Sing and sign

“Have you tried using the ‘Sing and Sign’ CDs and DVDs? I used them with a mixed group of children under the age of 2. The children simply loved them – singing along with me and doing the amazing hand signs, which are a great asset as a language improver.”

Visit www.singandsign.com to find out more.

(Thank you for this, Celia Murray.)

Parents’ Week 2008

This year’s Parents’ Week is taking pace from 20th to 26th October. Perhaps you could have a think about how your toddler group could get involved this year. Find out more at www.familyandparenting.org/pw2008

Interested in joining a network in the Nottingham/Derby area?

Tracey Austin has contacted us as she’d like to start a toddler group network in the Nottingham and Derby area, and is looking for people to join her. Tracey currently leads three toddler groups and has three children of her own, so has plenty of experience to share! Please email me with your contact details if you’re interested, and I’ll pass them on to Tracey.

New toddler group network in High Wycombe

We were thrilled when Joanna Howes wrote to let us know about a brand new toddler group network in the High Wycombe area. Joanna says: “We started the network lunches due to hearing about it at one of the Playtime conferences, and have also been inspired by www.ptgroupstogether.org.uk Other ideas we’ve brought back from the conferences include ‘Daddy and Me’ mornings, and a prayer request box.”

Here’s a list of toddler group networks (PDF).

This issue’s ‘Small talk’ highlights ideas for settling in. You can choose whether to print a black and white sheet (PDF) for photocopying, or a colour sheet (PDF) to put on your noticeboard.

Thank you to Katherine Charles from ‘Little Fishes’ in Bexleyheath, Kent who sent us these lovely craft activities.

Katherine says, “Little Fishes is the toddler group meeting every Thursday afternoon at St Peter’s in Bexleyheath. The group grew out of a luncheon group called Open House, but we ‘rebranded’ as Little Fishes just before Christmas. We enjoy free play, including a craft table, then singing and story time, and we finish the afternoon with drinks and fruit. We’re quite a small group – about 10 children each week – but we’ve welcomed several new members recently, so our numbers are growing.”

Share YOUR craft ideas: email us a digital photograph of each craft on a plain background, with brief instructions, and the name and location of your group. In the meantime, view other craft ideas here.

The information in this newsletter is supplied in good faith, but Care for the Family cannot accept responsibility for any advice or recommendations made by other organisations, resources or websites.