BECERA 2020: Home Learning Cultures Conference Pack
21-Nov-2019As has become tradition, we are delighted to offer you this new Home Learning Cultures Conference Resource Pack for
Featuring exclusive OPEN ACCESS to selected journal articles (courtesy of EECERJ, CREC and Taylor & Francis), as well as videos, infographics, blogs, resources and reports on home learning cultures from various experts and advocates in the field of early childhood education.
We hope you enjoy them and please feel free to share these fantastic resources with your colleagues!
Virtual Special Issue: Home Learning Cultures
Enjoy FREE ACCESS to selected journal articles in our Virtual Special Issue (VSI) on Home Learning Cultures, exclusively for
Featuring:
Young children's mathematical learning opportunities in family shopping experiences - Amy MacDonald et al. (Vol.26, Iss.4, 2018)
(De)constructing parental involvement in early childhood curricular frameworks - Jeroen Janssen & Michel Vandenbroeck (Vol.26, Iss.6, 2018)
The wonder project: an early years arts education project with Traveller mothers and their children - Carmel O’Sullivan et al. (Vol.26, Iss.5, 2018)
Parents’ play beliefs and engagement in young children’s play at home - Xunyi Lin & Hui Li (Vol.26, Iss.2, 2018)
Parent-teacher cooperation in early childhood education
– directors’ views to changes in the USA, Russia, and Finland - Janniina Vlasov & Eeva Hujala (Vol.25, Iss.5, 2017)
OPEN ACCESS Practitioner Research: Enjoy FREE ACCESS to selected practitioner research from CREC students
CREC has identified a selection of practitioner research which it feels have a particular value (normally commended by the academic markers) and, with the agreement of the authors, have made them openly available for other early years practitioners and researchers to access, and hopefully use, to inform their own practice and academic study.
Including:
Practitioners and parents; living in a 'third space'? A study of perceptions of 'British Asian' parental involvement in their children's nursery education - Nicola Smith (PhD Thesis, 2011)
Academically Successful Children raised in an economically stressful environment at aged 3 and 4: An affirmative exploration of narratives and perceptions - Laura Edwards (MA - Dissertation, 2015)
[RESEARCH] High Achieving White Working Class (HAWWC) Boys Project: Home Learning Environment Information Sheet
A key outcome of the CREC HAWWC Boys project was to develop a strategy to document and disseminate the knowledge gained, in a variety of formats and forums, to achieve maximum impact for underachieving white young boys.
This information sheet summarises the main facts, findings and action points from the HAWWC Boys project for ‘Home Learning Environment’.
There is also a YouTube playlist of Home Learning Environment videos, featuring parents talking about the various aspects of home life and learning with their young sons.
[ORGANISATION / INITIATIVE] Pacey: #SmallThings - Home Learning Environment
A rich home learning environment isn't just something that professional childminders can offer. There's lots you can do to help encourage and empower parents to create an active home learning environment as well, helping to create vibrant learning spaces for children.
Small things make a big difference to a child's learning. These short videos created by Pacey are designed for early years practitioners to share with parents to give them ideas and hints to help them explore ways of learning at home. Show them to parents and encourage them to give the tips a go.
[JOURNAL ARTICLE] The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds: Kenneth R. Ginsburg, Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Volume 119, Issue 1, 2007)
Despite the benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children. This report addresses a variety of factors that have reduced play, including a hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure, and increased attention to academics and enrichment activities at the expense of recess or free child-centred play.
[ORGANISATION / INITIATIVE] National Literacy Trust: The Home Learning Environment
A child’s language development begins long before they start school and is shaped by the people and places in their lives – their home learning environment.
Using a behaviour change approach, the National Literacy Trust are working with the Department for Education (DfE) on a multi-faceted initiative, which will support parents to provide language-rich home learning environments for 0 to 5-year-olds.
[ONLINE RESOURCE] National Literacy Trust: Small Talk
Small Talk is a new resource from the National Literacy Trust to help parents chat, play and read with their child every day, wherever they are. Find more free resources and activities at small-talk.org.uk.
[CAMPAIGN] HM Government: Hungry Little Minds
Improving early communication, language and literacy development is a key priority for the government and a cornerstone of building a country that works for everyone.
[INITIATIVE] Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC): Big Little Moments
The SSBC Big Little Moments initiative aims to help build young brains with the Big Little Moments.
Babies and toddlers are growing and learning every day and the little moments you share can make a big difference. From morning time to bedtime, waiting for the bus to playing together, every moment is a chance to help build a child’s brain.
[INITIATIVE] NSPCC: Look, Say, Sing, Play
The NSPCC teamed up with Vroom™ to give you some fun and easy tips to help you bring even more Look, Say, Sing and Play into your daily routine with your baby. We’ll send you a new tip, tailored to your child's age, each week.
[PROGRAMME] National Children's Bureau (NCB): Making it Real

Engaging parents in their children's early literacy development has been shown to improve children's outcomes and help to narrow the gap between disadvantaged and other children.
[GUIDANCE] National Children's Bureau (NCB): HOME MATTERS: making the most of the home learning environment
[RESOURCES] Playful Childhoods: Playful Parenting Resources
Playful Childhoods is a campaign that aims to help parents, carers and grandparents give children time, space, and support to play at home and in their local community.
[KNOWLEDGE HUB] BBC: Tiny Happy People
Tiny Happy People aims to help parents and carers to develop their child’s language and communication skills, so they get the best start in life.
[VIDEO] Alike: Animated short film by Daniel Martínez Lara & Rafa Cano Méndez
In a busy life, Copi is a father who tries to teach the right way to his son, Paste. But… what is the correct path?
[BLOG POST] Famly: How to Encourage a Stronger Home Learning Environment - And why it matters
[BOOK] Young Children Playing and Learning in a Digital Age: Chapter 8 - Children, Families and Technologies
[FREE TRAINING] University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences: I-LABS Training Modules
The University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) Outreach and Education team has designed an online library of free training modules that are intended to present the latest science of child development to early learning professionals.
The modules are accompanied by a variety of supplementary resources, like discussion guides and parent handouts, and include sections on early interactions, learning through imitation and attachment.
[PODCAST] Early Childhood Perspective Podcast: #17 - Working in Partnership with Families
In this podcast episode, host William Cook tackles three different ways early childhood practitioners can work in partnership with parents and families.
[THINK PIECE] Action for Children: What role does the home learning environment play in supporting good child development in the early years and positive outcomes in later life?
[JOURNAL ARTICLE] Early Family Risk Factors and Home Learning Environment as Predictors of Children's Early Numeracy Skills Through Preschool: Katharina Kluczniok, SAGE Open (April-June 2017: 1-13)
This study examines the impact of family risk factors (e.g. migration background, poverty) in early childhood on children’s numeracy skills during preschool in Germany, and if these relations are mediated through the quality of the home learning environment.
[FACTSHEET] Institute of Wellbeing: WELLBEING FACTSHEETS: 04 - What has wellbeing got to do with creating a positive home learning environment?
[ARTICLE] The Conversation: Parents play a key role in fostering children's love of reading
Learning to read is one of the most important developmental achievements of childhood, and it sets the stage for later school and life success. But learning to read is not straightforward. As child development researchers, parents often ask us how they can help their children to become good readers.
[PROGRAMME] Family Lives: ParentChild+
Research highlights the importance of a stimulating Home Learning Environment (HLE) in supporting children’s early learning.
This resource hub created by Peeple explore various aspects of the Home Learning Environment, including the importance of play, song and rhymes, conversation, and sharing books and stories.
[FACTSHEET] Kids Matter - Australian EC Mental Health Initiative: Why culture matters for children’s development and wellbeing
Humans are cultural beings. We learn to communicate and understand our world through the context of our languages, traditions, behaviours, beliefs and values. Our cultural experiences and values shape the way we see ourselves and what we think is important. When individuals are part of a cultural group, we learn the ways of that culture (e.g. behaviour and beliefs), which enable us to feel like we belong to our community.
Cultural perspectives also influence how we parent, how we understand children, how we help them grow up and how we teach them new skills.
[ARTICLE] Open Access Government: The role of parents' in helping children to develop language
Bob Reitemeier, Chief Executive of I CAN, focuses on the crucial role of parents' in helping children to develop language.
[BLOG POST] Young & Learning: 5 steps to a positive home learning environment
Easy tips for parents to create a positive home learning environment.
[RESOURCE] ZERO to THREE: Books about Feelings for Babies and Toddlers
[APP] EasyPeasy: The Home of Playful Parents
EasyPeasy delivers fun, timely, educational, and easy to play games, straight into your hands.
The EasyPeasy app is proven to help parents spend more quality time playing with their child at home, so children arrive at school better prepared and ready to learn. Independent, evidence-based research shows that EasyPeasy significantly improves parent engagement and children’s early developmental outcomes.
[APP] Best Beginnings: Baby Buddy App
Baby Buddy uses a health-by-stealth educative and proportionate universalism approach. The app provides trusted, evidence-based information and self-care tools to help parents build their knowledge and confidence during the transition to parenthood and throughout the early stages of parenting. Fun and engaging interactive features mean "you learn without the burn".
[APP] Mum & You: Nappychat App
[APP] BBC: CBeebies Go Explore App
Each game in Go Explore draws on the Early Years curriculum, helping children as they grow, building up their skills and understanding ready to start school.