This term, we have been fortunate to be supported by a grant from East Herts Council, which has enabled us to run our Buntingford Family Support Group.
The summer term has already been filled with fun activities bringing children and parents together, supporting friendships and connections, which has helped people to feel less lonely and isolated.
We have been pleased to welcome a visit from PCSO Dearman, who talked to us about community policing. The children were excited to see the police car, especially when we were treated to a quick blast of the siren and the blue lights! Police themed colouring pictures, and role play with traffic signals, ride-on toys, and police costumes all added to the fun.
We enjoyed sharing afternoon tea together to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee; the children had messy fun spreading jam on the scones for themselves. Before the event, we all spent time making the bunting that we used to decorate the hall when our afternoon tea took place. It looked fab!!
Supported by our amazing volunteers, the children have enjoyed creative activities, including painting, making shakers with pasta, exploring cornflour gloop and shaving foam, and plenty of rhythm, rhymes and songs. While these activities have been fun, they have also helped to encourage the development of fine motor skills, playing independently, and playing with others away from caregivers, which are all important for physical, social and emotional wellbeing and development.
Buntingford Family Support Group is a safe space for parents who use words like ‘warm’, ‘friendly’, ‘supportive’ and ‘consistent’ when asked to describe it. We have been pleased to welcome some new families to the group this term, during which parents have had an opportunity to have a go at glass painting. They are looking forward to trying their hand at watercolour painting in the coming weeks. We are also planning to plant some cress seeds, a special music session and a picnic in the park, which we hope won’t turn into a carpet picnic, let’s hope we are lucky with the weather!!
We would like to say a big thank you to East Herts Council for helping us with the funding for this term of Buntingford Family Group. We know that our group is so important to helping families in Buntingford; one mum told us:
It was a lovely group which was run very well and each week had great activities for the children and the adults to do together. We really made some lovely connections with the other mums and children.
We also received the following feedback from other parents attending the group:
Click here for more information about our Family Support Groups. You can also find out what we get up to during our sessions in our round-up blogs here: