A Brilliant Idea to Share with Parents...

and possibly use yourself!

Here on The PLAYlist, we’re all about celebrating the brilliant ideas that you, as practitioners, bring to life—ideas that make a real difference to your children and their families or even just make your day that little bit easier.

So if you have got an amazing idea, we would love to share it!

Have you developed a curriculum that’s hitting the mark? Found a planning format that simplifies everything? Created an engaging way to communicate with parents or a strategy that helps children access their environment more effectively?

If so, we’d love to hear from you! Share your genius with us (for free) by emailing ideas@abcdoes.com, and we’ll feature as many as we can here on The PLAYlist in the coming months.

I will start with the ….

My First Five Years App

As many of you know, I’m proud to be one of the co-founders of My First Five Years an app designed for parents to help them notice and celebrate their child’s development.

It also provides play-based activities tailored to support each stage of a child’s development, alongside research-backed information about where their child is on their developmental journey. Parenting can be a tough job, and this app is a fantastic, FREE  resource to help families!

We’re currently piloting a project with Blackpool Local Authority, where the app is being used to support families across the area.

Why is it useful?

🔹 For your parents:

If you think the app could benefit the families in your setting, why not recommend it? It’s available to download for free from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. Just search My First Five Years – Oh, and did I mention it’s completely FREE?

🔹 For you as a practitioner:

Although My First Five Years wasn’t designed specifically for educators, I’m regularly contacted by practitioners who’ve found it really useful in their settings. Here’s how it can work for you:

Key Group Use:

You can add up to 6 children, making it an ideal tool for working with your key group.

Create Imaginary Children

You can create profiles for children with similar developmental stages to those in your care. The app will then give you activities, suggestions, and research-backed information to help you support their development.

Whether you’re using it with your parents or as a resource in your own practice, My First Five Years is a valuable, accessible tool to support early childhood development.

For more information, visit www.mffy.com or visit the App Store or Google Play Store.

Also, if you use it – let me know what you think

Alistair