Yesterday afternoon Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools, Charlton Heights visited the local Care Home (Olive Tree Care Home). They sang lots of Nursery rhymes and had everyone join in with all of the actions. The Children built towers using sensory bottles and cheered when they were knocked down!
Then, everyone played a balloon game, ‘Keep The Balloon In The Air’. The children really enjoyed this and gave the whole room lots of giggles. Next the puppets were played with, they were also included in the nursery rhymes. To finish, everyone played some ball games, rolling them back and forth to their new friends
So what are the benefits of nurseries interacting with care homes?
Social Benefits for the Children
Children have often not spent a lot of time interacting with the older generation outside of their home and new experiences like this are a great way for children to practice the social skills they’ve picked up.
Communication and Language Benefits
Many children find it difficult to talk about personal and emotive feelings. The elderly can provide that space for the younger generation which allows them to open up without the worry of being judged or misunderstood.
Understanding of the World
One of the best benefits for children is that they can learn about ageing and develop an understanding and respect towards elderly people.
Increased empathy
Many of the older generations have mobility issues and children quickly realise that their new friends are a little different to the adults they are used to. Children learn to take care of the elderly and start to understand that people have different physical abilities.
Entertainment for Residents
The elderly are entertained by hearing children’s stories and singing along to nursery rhymes that they may have sung when they were younger. Not only that, but it’s precious to watch the children’s excitement when they get to sing or tell stories.
Taking part in activities
It’s an opportunity for Children to play games and sing songs with the residents who often long for company.
After developing all of the above points, children are left with an increase in self-confidence because of the positive interactions they gain with the elderly by feeling valued and important. Both have so much they can share and learn from one another.
Thank you to Olive Tree Care home for accommodating Happy Days Nursery.
Source – The benefits of children visiting a care home – Connect Childcare
