Dear Editor,
The NSPCC has launched new resources designed to encourage more fathers and male carers to take an active role in their children’s early development. And with Father’s Day just around the corner the charity wants more dads to sign up.
Look, Say, Sing, Play is a set of fun and science-based resources which have been helping new parents since being launched in 2019. It provides activities that can be enjoyed with babies and toddlers to help encourage higher quality interactions and build stronger bonds.
Parents are encouraged to Look at what their baby is focusing on and how they react, Say what they’re doing and copy the sounds their baby makes, Sing along to their favourite tune and Play simple games and see what their baby enjoys.
There has been a strong take-up of the service by mums, but only 10% of sign-ups were from dads, so the NSPCC held focus groups with expectant dads and those with new babies and toddlers, to see how to encourage more men to sign up.
The charity also worked with Father Support Workers and other professionals to understand how they’d like to use Look, Say, Sing, Play.
We found that fathers and male carers preferred to have outdoor and more physical activities that they could enjoy with their children, and they wanted to get more information about the science behind the programme.
As a result, Look, Say, Sing, Play with Daddy has been created with a whole range of free activities specifically designed to enable professionals working with dads and male caregivers to support them in early attachment, brain development…and having lots of fun with their 0-2 year olds.
The activity book created by the NSPCC features a four-week programme of activities that parents can do with their young children, with several options of varying activities suggested for each week.
Parents and carers can sign up to the main Look, Say, Sing, Play activities at www.nspcc.org.uk, with resources for dads and male caregivers available on NSPCC Learning.
Yours sincerely,
Carla Malseed
NSPCC Scotland Local Campaigns Manager