One of the most significant things that will help a child to achieve in terms of their education is at home good parenting.

With this in mind we have attempted to set up a range of activities that will:

• Support attachment between baby and parent
• Raise awareness about children's development
• Provide practical support and help for parents
• Provide tips and guidance to parents on supporting their children's development
• Offer courses that will support parenting and children's learning

Baby massage has many advantages for both parent and baby, this can be enjoyed from when your baby is only six weeks old.

Benefits for baby:

• Helps baby to bond with you
• Relaxes your baby and promotes better sleep
• Boosts immune system
• Helps digestion
• Provides relief for teething problems
• Gives your baby sensory stimulation
• Improves skin conditions

Benefits for parents:

• Helps you to bond with your baby
• Builds your and your baby's self esteem
• Stimulates feel good hormones
• Massage relaxes you

Mandy will talk you through all the steps you need to achieve this positive state with your baby, over a six week course. This is a very popular course here at the centre and parents who come along with their babies give extremely positive feedback. Courses take place Thursdays 10am - 11am; contact for more information.

This course is an active follow on from Baby Massage and is a gentle and fun way to exercise for you and your baby. Again run over six weekly sessions usually for babies aged between 5 and 9 months.

The Benefits to both you and your baby are physical, psychological and emotional. Your baby is given as much physical activity as she would receive if you handled and carried her all day in one session of baby yoga, and all this activity will help her sleep more deeply and your baby will be more settled.

Baby Yoga promotes routine

• The baby's senses are stimulated including the digestive and nervous systems
• It promotes communication between the parent and child
• Your baby will be learning how to interact with others and play actively.
• It is extremely relaxing for parents and can help you cope with the stresses of early parenting.
• Your baby will learn more how to express himself and you will become more in tune with his needs.

This is another popular course with parent and babies taking place Friday mornings 10am-11am. For more information contact .

This short 6 weeks course is very informal and you and your baby can join Lois and Mandy from when your child is 6 months. Come along and find out some facts about your baby and his developing communication skills.

This enjoyable 6 weeks of discovery will give you the skills very early on in your baby's life to support his learning and development. Places are limited to 5-6 parents and babies and courses take place Wednesdays 10am -11am; contact Lois Shore for more information.

Over the years we have invested heavily in developing a preventative speech and language service. Very often a parent will refer their child into the speech and language therapy service and it is found that their speech is fine; the children simply haven't developed their listening skills.

This short six week course is aimed at developing the listening skills of two - three year old children. Using props from the "Little Listeners Box" Lois will work with you and your child to encourage them to:

• Look at who was talking
• Sit and wait for their turn
• Listen for their name
• Listen and follow simple instructions
• Join in with songs and music
• Sit for a story

Using rhymes, stories and enjoyable props, this course will improve your child's social and emotional development, encourage increased concentration and improve their speech development.

Places are limited to 5-6 parents and children and courses take place Tuesdays 2pm - 3pm, contact for more information.

Stay and Play is a parent led group, supported by Lois Shore our community crèche worker. Due to popular demand we have moved out of the centre to Speke Baptist Church so parents and children have more space to play.

The aim of the Stay and Play sessions are to:

• Encourage play and exploration in young children
• Increase adult involvement with an understanding of play
• Encourage social and emotional development in younger children
• Introduce parents to some of the concepts in the Early Years foundation Stage
• Encouraged parents to support their children's learning
• Promote peer support in the community

Contact for more information.