<![CDATA[FAMILIA - Belingual materiaalipankki]]>Tue, 12 May 2026 13:00:43 +0300Weebly<![CDATA[Using picture cards to support language aquisition / Kuvakortit kielenkehityksen tukena]]>Mon, 27 Jan 2025 09:29:09 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/using-picture-cards-to-support-language-aquisition-kuvakortit-kielenkehityksen-tukenaWe reccomend using picture cards to support you club activities. This may at times feel repertitive but here is why picture cards are an important and helpful tool to use in your cards ( or at home when supporting your childs language development). 
  • Support cognitive connections
  • Helps children form meaning -  children learn language differently
  • Helps parents 
  • Ensures our clubs are safe inclusive spaces for all multilingual families

TIPS FOR USING PICTURE CARDS EFFECTIVELY


MAKING YOUR OWN PICTURE CARDS



EXAMPLE OF HOW TO GO THROUGH THE WORDS OF THE DAY



DOWN LOADABLE PICUTURE CARDS BY THEME]]><![CDATA[Club reporting / Kerho raportointi]]>Wed, 15 Jan 2025 20:34:43 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/club-reporting-kerho-raportointiWhat and why?
Each club must complete club report after each club session. This is the only reporting club volunteers are required to do and provides us with important information about how many club meetings there are in total during each season, how many families attend and what topics and activities are covered. 

Filling in the report only take a few minutes and it is mandatory. Club compensations for the season will only be paid once all club reports are completed. 

Note that you also need to complete a report if a club meeting is cancelled. 

What you need to do

  • Agree who will fill in the club report after each time. Volunteers can take turns or one volunteer can take care of reports all season. 
  • After the club meeting or a cancelled club fill in the club report -  CLICK HERE.
  • On the form you will be asked to provide the following details if the club took place:
    • Date of the club
    • Number of volunteers present
    • Number of adult participants
    • Number of child participants
    • Theme of the club ( for example: Colors, Winter, Friendship) 
    • Short descrption of the activities carried out during the club ( Example:  We started with a song about winter and read a book titled Little bears winter holiday. We crafted winter bears out of handprints and made hot chocolate with marhsmallos with your snack) 
    • Rate your club: 0 = The club did not go at all according to plan and/or the atmosphere was not good   to 10 = The club went as planned and/or the atmosphere was great! 
    • Any other information you would like to relay 
  • If the club did not take place, fill in the date of the missed  club and the reason it was cancelled.

Fill in your club report
]]><![CDATA[Tips for reading in the club]]>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 12:44:22 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/tips-for-reading-in-the-clubReading is a great tool for language learning. It can also be a great way to bring elements of your own culture in. It is important that the books you choose to read are inclusive and non-discriminatory. Keep in mind the Belingual inclusivity guidelines when selecting what books to read to your children. If you want to read books that are religious in nature, make sure you check that this is fine with all other parents.  
Sometimes you may not be able to find a book that suits the theme, or there simply isn’t any children literature in your language, if you find audio stories, use those, or make up a story yourself, or get a book in another language and translate it before the club.  
Reading to a group of children can be different than reading to your own child. Here are a few tips for reading to children in a group:  
  1. Start by talking about the cover, this will help get the children excited. Read the title. Ask the older children to help reading the title. Ask the children what they think the title means. 
    1. Point out the characters.  
    2. Count objects.  
    3. Look for colors.  
    4. Look at the illustration on the cover of the book.  
    5. What is happening in the picture?  
  2. You don’t have to read the book word for word, you can adapt the story as you go along so that it suits the age and language capacity of your group. Use the pictures to help you tell the story at a level that makes sense for the children in your group.  
  3. Comment on the story while you are reading and ask questions about and comment on what has happened so far. 
    1. You can ask the children to guess what might happen next, before you turn the page.  
    2. You can also ask YES or NO questions if that is more appropriate to your group’s language capacity.  
    3. You can also ask children to come to the book and point to something. Where is the X?  Can you point to X?  I see a X…can you find it? 
  4.  Change your voice for the characters and to express characters emotions, this will keep the story exciting, and children will learn about emotions at the same time.   
  5. Make sure all the children can see every page, hold the book so that the pictures face out towards the group and move the book slowly from one side of the group to the other, so everyone has time to see.  Read the story to yourself a few times before reading it to the children so that you are familiar with it.  You can sit on a chair; this will make it easier for everyone to see the pages. 
Source: https://supersimple.com/article/5-simple-tips-for-reading-to-children/ ]]><![CDATA[Tips for running a club session]]>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 12:35:09 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/tips-for-running-a-club-session​ADD MUSIC AND MOVEMENTS
​
Add some music and movement to the club at any point you want, even if it is not indicated in the club guidance. Music and dance is a great way to assist language learning and engage children. Before the club look up songs related to the theme and have play list ready. If you don’t know the moves to the song, try searching on YouTube before the club.  
If there is not thematically related music in your language, use whatever music you find. You can repeat the same every time, this can help build children’s confidence when they all know the song.  
 
WORDS OF THE DAY WORKSEET
 
During each club, give parents and children a daily worksheet. Together they can draw and write the words of the day on the sheet to take home as a reminder of what they have learnt. This is also a great way to engage older children during the club as they are usually keen to practice writing the words.  
If you write any of the words on a board etc. during the club, make sure to use CAPIITAL letters as children start by learning capitals.  
 
 
DISPLAYING ARTWORK/CRAFTS

If you are making any art/craft during the club, make sure to hang them up so everyone can see. This builds a sense of doing things together and helps children take pride in their work. Remember to remind children to take their artwork at the end of the club.  
 
GIVE PRAISE

Give children praise during the clubs and encourage everyone to clap and cheer for each other’s accomplishments.   
 

TIDYING UP TOGETHER

After each activity, tidy up together, this builds a sense of doing things together and responsibility for the space. If there is a “tidy up” song in your language, make a habit of singing it. If there isn’t, make one up for your club!  
 
SNACK BREAK IS A GREAT TIME TO LEARN TOGETHER

Have the snack break in a separate area as the club activities is possible. Snack time is a great time for active learning, parents can ask children what they have, talk about tastes, colors, smells or just let the children interact with each other. This is a nice time for parents to grab a cup or coffee or tea and have a chat. Seeing and hearing parents talk in their language is also important for language learning and identity development.  

]]><![CDATA[Tips for ending you club meeting]]>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 12:18:59 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/tips-for-ending-a-club
For the end of the club, we recomend to have a calm down activity or listening to a calm down music piece together. Also it is good to sumerise the session's topic in your own language and at the end discuss the plans for the next session, You can also at this part ask children or parents to suggest a topic or activity that they are interested to do together for the next session.

  • Finish with a calmdown exercise
  • Tidy up the club space of toys together
  • Collect feedback
  • End with a song
  • Reminder of what is coming up next time
  • Ask parents if anyone wants to help next time with coffees, snacks or activities
  • Give children their Belingual stickerbook and let then choose a sticker​

Once you have wrapped up the "official" club activities, makes sure there is time for free play and mingling ( we reccomend 30 mins at the end). It is a good chance for children to use the language and listen to their friends speaking the language and for parents to have a chat together. 
BELINGUAL STICKER BOOK PRINTABLE
File Size: 407 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Tips for the start of a club meeting]]>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 12:02:41 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/tips-for-begining-of-the-club
Picture
In Belingual we suggest having a set routine for the start of the club. Having a routine that you repeat helps both children and adults anticipate what is coming and makes them feel safe an comfortable. If might feel repetitive, but routine is important for keeping order and keeping children attention.

How you structure the start of you club is up to you. There are some suggestion for elements to routinely include at the start of your club.

  • Welcome everyone - Dependent of the club space, get everyone to sign in.  Make sure there is one volunteer welcoming new comers. 
 
  • Leave name tags and each child and parent can write a name tag (name and where you are from). You can also use masking tape for name tags. Name tags are important because they help you remenber everyones names, but also helps the parents call the other children at the club by name. Rememnber that even if the families at your club are very familiar with each other, you might have new families joining. Calling both parents and children by their names makes them feel welcome and part of the group. 
 
  • If there are more than one facilitator, do some easy activities with the kids whilst the families arrive: Have the picture cards from the previous club handy and revise the words, a great way to do this is by singing a song from the previous club. ​Give the children some coloring pens and paper and encourage them to draw something related to the previous club. ​​
 
  • Safety walk - Creating a safe space and feeling of safety is helped by a concrete action – a safety wants through the space. You may have new family joining every time. You can get the kids who know the space to show other children the space. Once the space Is familiar to everyone, you don’t need to do this. Make sure to show all new participants the emergency exits and the emergency gathering point.  
 
  • Roll call - ​​Call each child and parent by their names and welcome them. Go through the names of the children who are not present today. If there are any new families joining, let them introduce themselves to the group and ask everyone to welcome them.
 
  • ​Agree (or recap) what the rules of the club will be. Make sure you have the rules up somewhere where everyone can see them.  
 
  • Go through days schedule using the picture cards (and written schedule for the day):  The facilitator shows a picture card that correlates to the activity, for example " First we will read a book about winter" and show the picture care for reading. Also show the book. You can download a set of ready picture cards below 

  • ​Hang up the days schedule on the wall where everyone can see it, this will especially parents understand what the schedule for the day is.  

  • Tips: If there is anything specific you need parents to know about the club so that they can help their kids, remember to tell them at the start of the club. 

  • Welcome song: singing a short song that you sing at the start of each club (it can be any song) can be a good way to kick of the activities of the day. Kids will love it when they learn the song and it also acts as a signal to children that club is starting now. 

DOWNLOADABLE DOCUMENTS FOR THE START OF YOUR CLUB

PRINTABLE BELINGUAL PROGRAMME POSTER.pdf
File Size: 678 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
CLUB PROGRAMME PICTURE CARDS
File Size: 121 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
belingual_rules_poster_template.pdf
File Size: 230 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Tips for Crafting]]>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:41:15 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/tips-for-crafting
Crafting is a great way to challenge your child to try out new things or practice new skills. Expression through art and crafts is also a great way to reflect on self, even in young children. But it is important that adults create an environment where children can challenge themselves to learn new things and even do things that seem difficult. Here are a few tips on how to do that. 


Remind parents how to give positive feedback to their children during activities: Don’t just praise the result, or simply say “great work, good job” rather praise the process and be specific. Give praise for the effort your child has made, how they kept trying, how well the child concentrated. Ask the child what they are happy with: “What do you like about your painting?” Wow, you must feel proud!    
Kuule ja näe minut -esite - MIELI ry 
​

Tips
  1. Give your child the time and space to explore, reflect and realize, and provide the idea that the task may seem hard, but you can do it yourself.
  2. Be patient! An adult may be thinking about finished airplane while the child's mind is on the job, and at the same time his thoughts are flying in different worlds. The child's work is progressing at its own pace, and the most important thing in craft work is the working process of reflection, exploration and insight.
  3. Patience is also required in problem-solving situations: parents should be able to leave room for the child's own reflections and insights and not give ready made answers to ptoblems (if age appropriate).
  4. Remember that the facilitators' role is to ensure the safety of the work. Crafting tools can be dangerous if they are not handled correctly.

]]><![CDATA[Online Resources]]>Wed, 13 Nov 2024 09:36:19 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/online-resourcesThere are plenty of websites and other organizations online materials and resources which can be inspiring for the club acticities. we are sharing some of them in this post. If you have any ideas share them with us to be added to this list.
  1. Blog — TA-DA! Language Productions - Award-winning, tactile language learning for kids from birth to age 14
  2. https://bilingualfamily.eu/resources-for-parents/
  3. https://pardisforchildren.org/resources/
]]><![CDATA[Positive Hands]]>Wed, 06 Nov 2024 13:09:38 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/november-06th-2024Activity type: Crafting
Materials: Cardboard, Pen, Coloring markers
Age group: 4-6
Time: 35 mins
Language: All

  • Each child gets a piece of cardboard. Explain to the children that we will start drawing our hands. You can demonstrate how this is done. 
  • Parents can help children trace their hands. Some children might find this uncomfortable, if they do, don’t force them, you can draw a hand together, or trace a parent’s hands instead. 
  • Whilst you are drawing encourage the children to think about positive words about themselves.  
FOR YOUNGER KIDS:  Younger kids may not stay engaged for that long, you can give them paints to paint the hands whilst you do the rest of the exercise, still ask you children about positive words to describe them, make suggestions, but let them paint as we go along. 

  • Whilst you are drawing encourage the children to think about positive words about themselves.  
  • Parents can think this through with their children and decide together what words to write on the fingers of the hand. 
  • Smaller children can be given a hand to paint and parents can write on another one. 
  • Once the words are written on the hands, it’s time to cut them out. Parents can do this. Let the children paint whilst you cut out the hands. 
  • Once the hands are cut, all the parents and children can help clear up the paints and the workspace. 
  • Parents can take the children to wash their hands whilst another parent finishes cleaning up the space.  
]]><![CDATA[Color Bowling]]>Wed, 06 Nov 2024 13:04:56 GMThttps://www.familiary.fi/belingualmateriaalit/color-bowling7097815Activity type: start of the club activity
Materials: picture cards
Age group: 2-6
Time: 50 mins
Language: All

Activity description:
  1. Line up the colored toilet paper rolls or mugs that you have prepped. You should have one in each color of the day and have the name of the color written on the mug, with masking tape. 
  2. ​Line them up like bowling pins a few meters away. 
  3. Ask the children to get in a line. 
  4. Each child gets to roll the ball on their own turn and try to hit the” bowling pins”. When a child hits a pin, they can take it with them and go to the end of the line.  Each child can try for as long as they hit a pin and their parent can help then along the way.  
  5. Get the children to say the color of the pin they hit and encourage everyone to repeat. 
  6. Once all the pins have been bowled, ask one child with a RED pin to come to the front and everyone says the color together.   
  7. Ask the child what color they want next and then tell them to go get a friend who has that color pin and get them to come to the front 
  8. After this get the two children to hold hands and get the next child, and so forth until all the children have joined the chain.  
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