We have all been feeling the pinch throughout the recession. Many of us have had to take on extra hours or even second jobs in order to make ends meet. A recent poll by children’s communication charities I CAN and Openreach shows us the detrimental effects this may be having on our future generation.
A shocking 78% of parents in the West Midlands have been driven to take on extra work in the current economic climate with more than half of those expressing difficulties finding quality time to spend with their children. As a result of their increased workloads 39% of those surveyed are regularly missing out on family mealtimes, over a third revealed that answering work calls or emails frequently interrupts their attempts to engage with their children, and once the busy workday is over, 28% claim that they are simply too tired to chat with their children.
We’re all aware of how important those early years are for children. Kate Freeman, I CAN Communication Advisor, says, “Parents want the best for their children. They’re aware of the key milestones at the different ages and stages of development – but their best efforts are being hampered by the recession’s impact on their working hours.”
I CAN have put together a ‘top tips’ list to aid busy parents in building on their children’s communication skills. This includes a list of nursery rhymes that go particularly well with every day activities, such as ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ when dressing or ‘Row, row, row your boat’ at bath time. Songs and rhymes make communicating much more fun, and the repetitive style helps children learn words, and what to associate them with, much faster. This list of tips stresses the importance of communicating with children as often as possible and highlights points in a daily routine where parents can give their child their full attention by chatting and singing songs. Nappy changing time is a perfect example as children will often be watching their parents very closely at this point. The list also suggests regular ‘chit-chat’ about what you are doing while out shopping, getting ready for bed or just cleaning up the house.
In addition to this, I CAN are encouraging families to participate in the 11th annual Chatterbox challenge, which takes place from the 1st to the 7th of February 2012. The Chatterbox challenge is a fundraising event for children aged 0-5 and will be taking place in homes, nurseries and child-minding groups all around the country. Designed by speech and language therapists, the chatterbox challenge aims to develop communication skills in children through songs and rhymes.
This years theme is ‘Kids in Motion: Get active and make chatter matter’ and children will be getting ‘communication fit’ performing popular nursery rhymes and combining words with actions. Thanks to the support of Openreach, donations raised go directly to I CAN’s work with children experiencing speech, language and communication difficulties. There’s still time to register for a free Chatterbox Challenge pack, please go to www.chatterboxchallenge.co.uk
Currently one in ten children in the UK will struggle with a communication difficulty persisting throughout their lives, let’s not see that number raise any higher.
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