Model Letter to Parents Explaining Your Approach to Festive Crafts and Creativity...
Model Letter to Parents Explaining Your Approach to Festive Crafts and Creativity...
and why it might not be what they are expecting.
This is an example of the sort of letter that you could send home to parents to explain your approach to festive crafts and creativity and why they might not get what they were expecting.
Hello everyone,
It has been fantastic to see the children settling, we’re sure you’ll agree they have done brilliantly and we’re excited to see their progress as we move through the year.
We wanted to write to you now about our plans for [the next half term or the festive season]. We want everything we do at [add setting or class name] to support our children’s learning and development.
We know that fostering creativity and independent thinking is essential for children’s development. Encouraging children to explore, solve problems in new ways and express their unique ideas is at the heart of what we do.
We’re sure you’ve seen various festive craft ideas around and might be wondering if you’ll get a handprint card or a toilet roll creation from us. We don’t do these types of activities, and won’t be doing them during the festive season either.
There are a few reasons why we have decided not to help every child make the same card or decoration.
We want…
[Leave these as bullet points or add more explanation, if you send letters digitally you could include a photo to illustrate what this looks like in your setting]
To give children time to develop their practical skills so they implement their own ideas.
[Add an explanation or photo. For example, Children need time to explore and learn how to use tools and techniques - they cannot put their ideas into place without these skills]
To support each child to see themselves as capable and creative.
[Add an explanation or photo. For example, Research shows that children benefit most when they have time and freedom to develop their ideas. When we encourage your child to use their imagination to create something unique, they develop a stronger sense of self and capability]
To encourage the children to share their thoughts, ideas and approaches.
[Add an explanation or photo. For example, We give your child time and resources to make things based on their own ideas (not ours). This helps them to express their thoughts, share their approaches, and collaborate with others in a meaningful way.]
We think if we show each child what they should make, then call them over to make it, we would not be supporting their creativity.
This does not mean that we aren’t going to encourage the children to understand the pleasure of giving a gift and seeing this bringing joy to someone they love or to share the excitement of celebrations.
We will be …..
[insert here the things that you will be doing to learn about and share celebrations - we’ve put some suggestions but change this to reflect what you do in your setting]
Exploring different ways to celebrate, including storytelling, singing, dancing and looking at cultural traditions from around the world.
Helping the children understand what a celebration is and think about what celebration means to them.
Focusing on the values of kindness, sharing and understanding.
[You could be specific about the activities the children and families will be involved in]
We will…
Invite you to join us for songs/food.
Decorate the room together, ready for the festive season.
Play games and enjoying food together at our end of term party.
We would love you to
..
[insert how families can be involved. We’ve put some ideas but make this specific to your families. Think about ways everyone can contribute including those who are not able to come into the setting]
Share your traditions by telling us about a story, recipe or special activity you enjoy doing with your family. Feel free to send in any materials or ideas that inspire your child at home and we will incorporate them into our activities at [school/nursery/pre-school/name of your room]
And of course, the children will continue to have opportunities to be creative and learn about the resources they can use to share their ideas.
You can see some of the amazing creations we have seen already in our gallery [include drawings and paintings as well as photographs of things like blocks and models made from cardboard boxes].
Thank you for your support, if you’d like to know more please [pop in for a chat, send us a message or…include the best ways for your families to communicate with you]
Note from Alistair:
You’ll notice all of our draft letters to parents are written in simple, everyday language and using short sentences. We do this because we know it is important for these to be accessible to all families. In the United Kingdom, government guidance[1,2], which is based on research, suggests that content should have a reading age of nine.
References:
[1] Government digital services. (14 August 2024). Content design: Planning, writing and managing content. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk
[2] Surrey County Council. (10 January 2024). Reading level for webpages. Available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk
Further information:
Plain Words (not dated). Reading should be painless. Available from: Plain Words - Readability Scores.
British Dyslexia Association (not dated). Dyslexia friendly style guide. Available from: Dyslexia friendly style guide