The Importance of Early Years Education,
With Get Set Yeti Magazine In Review
Early years education is crucial for any child’s development. The first school and pre-school experiences of your child provide them with an opportunity to communicate, understand learning behaviours, develop socially and emotionally - and much more. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated measures, our children are starting school with a more barriers than ever before. Early Years and pre-school settings were closed to most pupils in March 2020, with many not reopening until September. Our children are now beginning school having encountered great instability, isolation and a lack of social experiences.
The impact of this on young children has been profound. In its report into the impact of COVID-19 on young children, the EEF reported that 76% of schools found their new starters needed more support than would normally be expected. In particular, the report identified three particular areas of concern: communication and language development; personal, social and emotional development; and literacy.
Mental health has also suffered greatly as a result of the pandemic and surrounding measures. In fact, there has been an unprecedented surge in demand for mental health care for children. It’s no surprise then, that many parents have also expressed significant concern about children starting school, following lockdown - particularly regarding social and emotional development.
Following this period of instability, we know that parents of young children are in desperate need of valuable resources to support their child’s pre-school development - whether that be in terms of school readiness, socio-emotional development, or supporting their early numeracy and literacy foundations. As primary care givers, parents have a specialised knowledge of their own child - but they might need support in terms of understanding early learning and fostering a love of learning at home. That’s where Get Set Yeti Magazines can help!
The Get Set Yeti digital magazine subscription offers a ‘way in’ for parents to ensure they are giving their child the tools to become ‘school ready’, as well as supporting early numeracy and literacy development. The magazine also communicates the growth mindset message that is central to Get Set Yeti’s mission - helping children to overcome obstacles and difficulties with resilience and a positive attitude.
Each issue of the magazine features activities and stories based around the lovable yeti characters. Their motto, when they encounter difficulties, is that they can’t do it YET… but that doesn’t stop them from trying until they can!
Parent Power!
Every parent wants to encourage their child to be ready for school and all of the challenges that it presents - but it can sometimes be difficult, in the midst of a busy home life, to know the right ways to develop resilience in your child. One key feature of Get Set Yeti magazine is Parent Power - practical resources and advice to encourage a growth mindset. The yeti roar-o-meter from issue one enables children to really see their confidence grow as they colour in their own chart!
Building the Foundations
Through the lockdowns of 2020, Early Years, Pre-school and Nursery settings were closed to the majority. Only 7% of 2-4 years olds attended an educational setting during this time - and so its no surprise that, for many children, the foundations of their literacy and numeracy skills were lacking. As parents, we want to support this learning in the best possible way. But despite spending hours trawling for ideas on pinterest, it can be difficult to find the right activities that fit into our increasingly busy lives. One aspect of Get Set Yeti magazines that is absolutely crucial are the tips, activities, videos and rhymes that support literacy and numeracy development. Issue one, for example, features a whole range of activities around counting. The resources provided help us, as parents, understand how to deepen our child’s understanding - from teaching one-to-one correspondence, to finding different ways to reinforce counting in our every day lives.
Awe and Wonder
Developing a love of learning at a young age is key in preempting future success. Enthusiasm, curiosity and engagement are crucial - and that’s where Get Set Yeti’s Wonder Workshop and Department of Mysteries articles come in. With stories from the world of Geography, History and Science, children can learn about the world around them. Supporting activities - including mazes, word searches and easy experiments to do at home - inspire critical thinking and discovery in a practical way. And of course, all of the activities deliver the significant growth mindset message. Even Thomas Edison had to overcome lots of difficulties before he created the lightbulb - and children can learn all about that in issue one!
Creativity is Key
If you’re looking for ways to help develop creative expression in your child, then you’ll be spoilt for choice with the Get Set Yeti magazine. Take a visit to the Art Bubble to discover ways in which art therapy can help your child explore their emotions; drop by to the Yeti Band to join in with the yeti song; or hop over to Mucky Paws to explore sensory exploration using things you can find in your kitchen! Creativity is key to helping your child’s social and emotional development - and Get Set Yeti brings all the ideas to your fingertips.
Field Guide to Feelings
With mental health being a concern for many parents when their child starts school, Get Set Yeti’s Field Guild to Feelings provides a perfect ‘way in’ to begin discussing emotions with your child. A key part of social and emotional development is to recognise feelings - both positive and negative - and how to deal with them effectively. This kind of emotional literacy is key for children beginning school, putting them in the best place to be able learn. The Field Guide to Feelings explores all the emotion ‘beasties’, what their emotion looks like, and how to look after each ‘beastie’ - advice and stories that your child will be able to translate to their own lives.
Get Set Yeti magazine focuses on the promotion of early numeracy, literacy and growth mindset in children, whilst highlighting children’s passion, curiosity, imagination and creativity. Through a combination of fun stories, practical activities and parental advice, the magazine provides parents with the tools to build children's confidence in these key early learning areas. Get Set Yeti empowers children to ensure they can take on whatever challenges come their way.