Learners get to grips with their ABCs

Pre-school children have fun with letters and numbers

Children have been getting to grips with letters in Johnstone as part of a club that gives children an insight into what to expect from school.

Big Kids Little Learners is a club for parents, grandparents and carers of three to five year olds.

It explores literacy and numeracy through fun learning.

Created by teacher Janine Neil, the club provides hour-long sessions where youngsters learn about a new letter and the sounds associated with it.

Each letter embodies a character Janine has created and the children hear a story about what mischief the naughty character has been up to.

There is also an opportunity for arts and crafts.

Janine told the Express the sessions are about children and parents spending time together and learning in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

“Children are so keen to learn and we are giving them the opportunity to explore the curriculum,” she said.

“At no point do we expect them to know anything. It is a small sample so that when they go to school it is not completely new to them.

“It’s about having an awareness of letters and numbers. It is very much child- led and it’s about children taking from it what they want to.”

Youngsters most recently learned about the letter J which they were able to draw while also making their own crafty jellyfish.

The session was one of ten classes that were held at the club’s Johnstone base every week before the coronavirus outbreak.

But children are still able to enjoy the benefits of the club, with Janine posting the phonetics element of her sessions on YouTube, along with her much anticipated stories and action songs.

More information about the classes is available on the big Kids Little Learners Facebook page.