Nursery World - A unique child: Inclusion

Communication skills have been boosted by an English/Urdu songbook, says early years consultant and writer Meg Jones.

Practitioners at East Staffordshire Children's Centre, frustrated by the lack of appropriate resources for their families, decided to produce their own. The ethnic minority population of Staffordshire is low, with the highest numbers concentrated in Burton upon Trent. Many of these are Urdu-speakers, and their families use the Children's Centre.

A lot of singing has been heard over recent months as snatches of English and Urdu emanating not only from the childcare settings, but also from local offices.

A display encouraging parents to contribute both English and Urdu traditional songs and rhymes met with an enthusiastic response. The centre's practitioners and speech therapist felt that rhymes played an important part in developing children's early communication and speech skills and would provide a fun activity at home.

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