Tiny Happy People is a 成人论坛 website full of advice and activities that is useful for early years practitioners, both for use in settings and for sharing with parents and colleagues. We cover a range of topics linked to children's development from 0-4, with a specific focus on children's pre-literacy skills and language learning, ideal for school readiness.
Across the Tiny Happy People site, you'll find videos modelling best practice for different activities, which are all sorted by age group. These are all evidence-based and have been quality-checked by panels of professionals including speech and language therapists.
Early years practitioners talk about Tiny Happy People
We have lots of accessible advice on children's speech and language development that you might find useful for planning activities and spotting any potential issues to flag.
We also offer parents and practitioners knowledge of how simple play and chat benefits children's development, which you may like to introduce to parents at children's 2 year checks.
Below you'll find a suggested selection of resources you might find useful under various headings. Just click the title in the menu.
As well as the below website resources, you may want to follow and recommend our accessible, warm and welcoming and channels - search for @bbctinyhappypeople.
Activity ideas for early years
We've got all sorts of activities for different age groups that are great for children's pre-literacy and will help close the gap between the most and least school-ready. These could be useful in settings or for referring parents to try at home with their child.
2-3 years activities. collection
Activities designed for 2 year olds' development - including plenty of ways to help children build longer phrases and sentences.
3-4 years activities. collection
Activities designed to help with language learning and development of 3 year olds - including practising using different tenses.
4-5 years activities. collection
Activities for 4 year olds to build school readiness - including lots of phonics practice.
Nursery Rhymes and Songs. collection
A wide range of traditional and creative nursery rhymes to try out in your settings.
听
听
The importance of play
Play advice. collection
Our Play advice collection is full of information on why different types of play are key to children's development - it may be helpful to inform your own practice and share with parents and carers.
How playing pretend benefits children
An explanation of how imaginative play supports children's holistic development.
How risky and challenging play benefits children
An article explaining how taking risks helps children to develop confidence and how parents and practitioners can encourage children to challenge themselves.
How toddlers learn through play. video
A simple animation explaining how play is crucial to toddlers' development - great for sharing with parents to explain the benefits of play activities in early years' settings.
Advice on outdoor play. collection
Tips, advice and inspiration for getting kids outdoors and enjoying nature to share with parents.
听
Children's language development
Tools for Talking. collection
Our Tools for Talking films were developed with academics and speech and language therapists. They explain clear techniques to try with children of different ages and developmental stages to help with their language learning.
The Speech Lab. collection
Language is key to a child's progress in nursery and at school. Our Speech Lab films demonstrate how adults can maximise opportunities for language learning for children aged 0-4.
Common speech and language questions answered
Speech and Language Therapists answer parents' common questions around children's speech development - helpful as a resource for dealing with queries from parents of children you work with.
When to be worried about a child's speech progress
Speech and Language Therapist Janet Cooper explains the signs to look out for if you suspect a child is behind with their communication and when and how parents can seek help.
听
听
Child development
Our child development section is full of information on different developmental milestones for children, both mental and physical, which may be useful when completing progress checks at age 2. Our content may be used to reinforce and support your own understanding as well as shared with parents and carers to offer clear explanations of their child's progress.
Baby Development. collection
A series of films and articles on development from 0-12 months.
Toddler Development. collection
Films and articles all around development from approx 12 months - 3 years
Preschooler Development. collection
Films and articles on development from 3-5 years.
Emotional development and school readiness
Advice on children's emotional development. collection
Our films on children's emotional development give clear explanations of common behavioural issues and strategies for dealing with them. This could be useful in settings and for sharing with families for use at home.
Getting toddlers to share. video
Sharing is key to harmony in a group setting - this short animation explains strategies for getting young children to share with one another.
Handling children lashing out. video
Lashing out is a common issue in group settings - this animation explains common reasons for this and strategies to deal with it.
Help with the 2 year review
Films and articles in this section could be helpful for use with families at their child's 2 year review. You may like to introduce parents to the Tiny Happy People site at the review to support their child's ongoing development at home.
The importance of play
All about play. collection
Articles all about different types of play. Perfect for helping to explain the benefits of different types of play to parents.
Why taking risks is good for children to learn
Early years professional Gaynor Rice explains why children learn through challenging themselves and taking risks during play.
How toddlers learn about the world through play. video
An animation explaining how play is crucial to toddlers' learning about cause and effect, shapes and colours.
Language development
How to help toddlers to build sentences. video
Our Tools for Talking film explains how parents can help children build their words into longer sentences by repeating them back and adding to them.
How to help toddlers to say words properly. video
Our Speech Lab film explains the technique of recasting - repeating words back to children correctly and clearly, without explicitly correcting them.
Why toddlers like to hear the same stories over and over. video
This short animation explains why toddlers hearing the same story repeatedly is good for their language learning.
Activities for families to try
Superhero role play. video
A simple role play game to get children's imaginations flowing.
Homemade skittles. video
A cheap and easy throwing game to get children practising taking turns - a key skill for conversation.
Getting ready to go out. video
A film to show parents how routines like getting dressed to go out can be a chance for children to learn how to follow simple instructions.
Routine advice
Advice on routines. collection
Our routines advice section has collections of videos and articles to share with parents on everything from feeding to sleep and mealtimes.
Potty training - parents' questions answered
The experts at children's bowel and bladder charity, ERIC, answer common questions parents have about potty training.
Tips for a calmer bedtime routine
Vicki Dawson from The Sleep Charity helps explain some simple ways to establish a good bedtime routine with kids.
Mealtime advice and recipes. collection
A collection of ideas for interaction around mealtimes as well as family-friendly recipe ideas.
听
2 year check leaflet
A leaflet to share with parents at the 2 year check, with QR codes to share Tiny Happy People films appropriate for this age range.
Children with SEND or potential speech issues
Advice for working with SEND children. collection
Our SEND section is full of articles and video case studies of families whose children have conditions affecting their speech. It could be useful for understanding how to communicate with children you work with as well as for sharing with parents/carers and colleagues.
Common questions on speech delay answered
Common questions about speech delay answered by speech and language therapists.
听
Working with bilingual children
Bilingualism advice. collection
Our bilingual advice collection could be invaluable in understanding how parents may use more than one language at home to communicate with their child.
10 multilingual games for toddlers
10 games you could play with bilingual children to support their learning of both languages.
Questions on bilingualism answered
Speech and Language Therapist Monal Gajjar answers common questions on speaking multiple languages at home - ideal for answering parents' concerns.
