Video transcript

[Mum and toddler are playing with toys and on the play equipment in the park]

Mum: Push it. Oh, that’s good pushing. Good boy!

Narrator: Toddlers love pretend play. It helps them to explore and understand the world around them. Let the play be led by your toddler’s imagination.

Mum: Are you on a motorbike? Go ‘bbbrrrrmmm’! Yeah! Go really fast. Go really fast. Do you want to pretend to be on the spaceship too? Yeah! Do you want to show Mum how you drive? Nope? [Toddler goes down the slide instead]

Mum: Ready? Wheeeee!

[Mum reads a book to her child. She points to pictures and describes them]

Narrator: Reading books with words and pictures is an important part of your child’s learning. Encourage your child to hold the book and turn the pages. This will help your child start to understand that the book should be a certain way up, and that pages are always turned in the same direction. You can point to the pictures in the book and tell your child more about them. Describe the colours and pictures in the book, and count the things you see.

[Parents and children are sitting on the floor for story time at the library]

Narrator: Many local libraries hold a toddler story time. These are a fun social time for children where reading is the main event.

Librarian: We’re going to have a story today called ‘The very silly shark’. It’s a peek-a-boo pop-ups. Can you help me with the story? Do you think we can do that? [Starts reading] ‘Shark is very silly, he loves to splash and splish...’

Narrator: When children are read to, they start to understand that the stories are coming from the words on the page. This is important in helping them learn to read and write as they get older.

[Mum and child walk into playgroup together]

Narrator: And remember for group activities, playgroup is a great chance for your child to socialise and play with other children. They are also a great way for you to meet other parents, share ideas and learn from each other.