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This is an 8 week programme which focuses on promotion of your baby’s positive emotional health and brain development.

Play enhances language development, social competence, creativity, imagination, and thinking skill. Research indicates that children learn best in an environment which allows them to explore, discover, and play. It is also closely tied to the development of cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical behaviors. So why not spend some quality time with your child at one of our play time sessions.  

A Sure Start walking group for all the family.

We run a series of physical play programmes throughout the year with the aim of increasing children’s activity levels that are in line with government recommendations.  We use balancing beams, large soft play equipment, tunnels and ride-on bikes.  This programme is ideal for children aged 6 months to 4 years old.  The physical play programme provides numerous benefits for children such as improving their gross motor skills and their balance and coordination, while allowing them to have fun in a safe environment.  Booking advisable.

Play for the Young and the Young at Heart.

We are joining with Avila nursing home, Bessbrook to start a new exciting play programme which aims to allow children, parents and residents to come together and enjoy a play session together. We hope that these play sessions will allow everyone to play, share and connect in a fun way.

Nursery rhymes are great for language development.  Rhyme times are fun interactive sessions aimed at babies and toddlers with their parents or carers. The sessions are based on sharing nursery rhymes, action songs, musical instruments and board books – there is loads of fun with instruments to shake and rattle.

Baby massage is gentle, rhythmic stroking of your baby’s body with your hands.  There are lots of ways baby massage can benefit not just your baby, but you and your partner as well. Massage can be particularly good for premature babies helping them to grow and thrive, baby massage is good for full-term babies too.  In fact, all small children can benefit from massage. Massage may help your baby to strengthen attachments, stay relaxed, cry less, and sleep  better.

In one short daily session, babies receive as much physical activity as if they were handled for a few hours. Baby Yoga offers daily routines for parents to engage constructively with their babies from birth as a foundation for future regular exercise. Baby Yoga promotes more and better sleep and regular movement promotes a more ‘settled’ behaviour with less extreme ups and downs.

Shakers, Movers and Groovers

“Finding the Magic in Movement”, a music and movement play session for children aged 2-4 years of age. Each one hour session combines music and movement to create a fun, creative programme for parents and their children.

This programme includes;

Dancing with props- scarves and ribbons/Dancing to songs – slow and fast/Nursery Rhymes/Moving to different rhythms.

Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, motor skills, problem solving skills and social interation through activities that naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore.

Baby massage is gentle, rhythmic stroking of your baby’s body with your hands.  There are lots of ways baby massage can benefit not just your baby, but you and your partner as well. Massage can be particularly good for premature babies helping them to grow and thrive, baby massage is good for full-term babies too.  In fact, all small children can benefit from massage. Massage may help your baby to strengthen attachments, stay relaxed, cry less, and sleep  better.

Parenting can be quite “puzzling”  This 4 week programme will explore topics such as empathy, listening, praise and boundary setting.  It will also emphasise the importance of nurturing our self and others in the family.

Promoting babies physical, auditory and visual stimulation through singing, playing instruments and making and exploring sounds together.

Antenatal aqua yoga helps benefit you during pregnancy by keeping you active and relieving stress and can also help in getting baby in the right position for birth.  This programme will have a unique opportunity in that there will be a workshop for birthing partners to attend on the final day which will cover areas including the role of the birth partner, care of a newborn and infant feeding.

Reflexology can be beneficial at any age but it can be very useful for babies and children who appear to have more sensitive feet and may respond to treatments much quicker. There are many benefits that simple reflexology techniques can have on many issues including coughs, colds and constipation.  It can also help with the promotion of sleeping patterns, calming techniques and reduction in stress hormones.

Each session will last for 45 minutes and will incorporate simple reflexology techniques, singing, relaxation and fun for both parent/carer and baby.

In this workshop expectant parents learn the most up to date and reliable information about ways to feed your new-born baby. Discover the benefits of breastfeeding and practical tips to establish and enjoy breastfeeding. If you decide to bottle feed then learn about the safe use of infant formula.

This outdoor walking group provides parents and carers the opportunity for outdoor physical activity whilst providing our toddlers with some fresh air.

A Sure Start walking group for all the family.

A programme which explores really helpful ways to praise and coach positive behaviours in your toddler, building strong foundations in your relationship with them.

Experimenting with materials, building towers with blocks and playing in the sand.

Experimenting with materials, building towers with blocks and playing in the sand.

This is 7 week programme for parents/carers/child-minders who want to gain key skills and knowledge on speech, language and communication development. It also teaches awareness of the different types of communication difficulties that children can experience and discusses ideas to help children listen, understand and talk.

This programme is delivered by our Speech and Language therapist Christine Hickey who is also an Elklan Tutor.

A LEGO® based Little Brickies workshop where imaginations can run wild to build and create using LEGO® bricks and wooden blocks.

Experimenting with materials, building towers with blocks and playing in the sand.

Messy Play is an important part of early education. It offers many opportunities for learning.

Children will be given the tools to develop and practice fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. Activities such as stacking, pouring and spooning will develop hand-eye coordination. Practice cutting, writing in shaving cream and using tongs will develop fine motor skills. Hands-on activities will provide opportunities for children to compare textures such as smooth, rough, hard and soft. While respecting each other’s personal space, children will gain an understanding of their own body space.

Outdoor play allows children to be creative and use their imagination in exploring the great outdoors – we are going to be exploring and having lots of fun climbing trees, hunting for leaves, puddle jumping and going on bear hunts! This type of play helps children with their problem solving skills, it raises their resilience, self-esteem and self-confidence. As part of our outdoor play we can expect the weather to be constantly changing and this in itself can be exciting for children. The sensory experiences of crunchy leaves, jumping in puddles and listening and feeling different types of weather can provide great learning experiences.

We run a series of physical play programmes throughout the year with the aim of increasing children’s activity levels that are in line with government recommendations.  We use balancing beams, large soft play equipment, tunnels and ride-on bikes.  This programme is ideal for children aged 6 months to 4 years old.  The physical play programme provides numerous benefits for children such as improving their gross motor skills and their balance and coordination, while allowing them to have fun in a safe environment.  Booking advisable.

Stretch, move and relax together.

Toddler Yoga is designed for children aged 2- under 4 yrs and will incorporate singing, gentle moves and relaxation.  Children will experience traditional yoga poses and turntaking and working with friends.

Children will gain confidence, self-esteem through repetition and also gain self-regulation skills with the aid of breathing techniques.  This is a fun, interactive programme with life-time benefits.

A LEGO® based Little Brickies workshop where imaginations can run wild to build and create using LEGO® bricks and wooden blocks.

Makaton Signing for Babies is a six-week programme designed to encourage the development of communication and language skills in babies and toddlers. All the sessions are fun and interactive for you and your child and you will learn approximately 100 signs and symbols using songs, games and activities.

Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, motor skills, problem solving skills and social interation through activities that naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore.

Experimenting with materials, building towers with blocks and playing in the sand.

Join in our breasteeding celebrations with our Starting Strong with Sure Start workshop. On the day, we will have our health visitors and midwife present to provide up to date evidence based information on getting breast feeding off to a good start, how best to maintain a good milk supply, the importance and how to ensure a good latch, supplying to the milk bank etc. There will also be:
A Mothercare information stand displaying baby feeding information and equipment used for feeding your baby.
Bra fitting and measuring service by GASP boutique; Bras, including nursing bras will be available for purchase at a discounted rate.
A cancer research box will be available for you to donate your old bra to help in developing countries.
A breast cancer awareness display with information – meet and examine “Betty Boobs” our breast model.

Sure Start South Armagh has obtained Unicef stage two accreditation and all our buildings have a designated breast feeding area.

This is a great opportunity to explore a working fire station with your child and raise their awareness of fire safety.

Toddlers develop language skills in different ways and at different times.  Our Speech and Language therapist at this workshop will provide helpful tips on understanding your child’s communication skills and how you can help them.

We run a series of physical play programmes throughout the year with the aim of increasing children’s activity levels that are in line with government recommendations.  We use balancing beams, large soft play equipment, tunnels and ride-on bikes.  This programme is ideal for children aged 6 months to 4 years old.  The physical play programme provides numerous benefits for children such as improving their gross motor skills and their balance and coordination, while allowing them to have fun in a safe environment.  Booking advisable.

Promoting babies physical, auditory and visual stimulation through singing, playing instruments and making and exploring sounds together.

Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, motor skills, problem solving skills and social interaction through activities that naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore.

Why not join us in Newry Leisure Centre for Splash with Dad. This programme is especially for dads and their children.  The aim is to increase physical activity among families.

Do you have a child aged between 18 months and 4 years and have concerns about their speech and language?

We now have a monthly clinic to give parents and children the chance to meet with our Speech and Language Therapist Christine to discuss any concerns.

This clinic is not suitable for children who are already known to our speech and language therapist or to those already known to Core Speech and Language services

A fun opportunity for you and your child to play instruments together and discover new sounds and music.

Sensory play fosters a child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks and is a highly visual medium that provides a dramatic eye-catching effect.
In this 45 minute session we offer an array of UV Responsive and Neon toys and resources, providing captivating bright vivid colours, different textures and materials to promote expression, signing, focus, and communication for children to explore and use their senses to investigate.

Sensory play fosters a child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks and is a highly visual medium that provides a dramatic eye-catching effect.
In this 45 minute session we offer an array of UV Responsive and Neon toys and resources, providing captivating bright vivid colours, different textures and materials to promote expression, signing, focus, and communication for children to explore and use their senses to investigate.

Promoting babies physical, auditory and visual stimulation through singing, playing instruments and making and exploring sounds together.

A fun, educational and interactive session to meet lots of interesting critters.

A Relax Kids Session will include how to teach children positivity, help them to be happier, support them to become more confident, inspire them to feel calmer and build their resilience. This is an interactive session with your child.

Relax Kids – Little Stars Programme delivered by FKRelax