In 2018 we began visiting our local Arcare Nursing Home as part of our Intergenerational Program. Each 4 year old Kinder class walks down to Arcare once a month to spend time with the ‘Grandparents’. This involves the children participating in a variety of activities with the ‘Grandparents’ such as drawing, looking at picture books, building with duplo and singing. The benefits for the Grandparents include:
- Use of language – The grandparents reading picture books to the children, talking to the children, asking them questions about their drawings
- Physical – the grandparents participate in movement songs, help build with duplo and draw pictures with the children
- Mental – singing/music stimulates the brain
- Our visits stimulate the senses of the Grandparents as the room is a buzz with the children visiting.
The Grandparents, as we refer to the residents as, have a purpose when we visit. They join in the songs – many of the songs the Grandparents request are nursery rhymes. There are a couple of Grandparents whom we have been told don’t talk to the other residents, BUT when the children are there they are talking to them. One resident in particular, English is his second language, and he just loves chatting to the children with his basic English.
The benefits for the children include:
- Spending time with the elderly builds connections and respect for the older generation.
- Children who don’t have grandparents locally, have the opportunity to engage with these ‘Grandparents’.
- Children’s confidence grows
- Learning social skills in a nurturing environment
- Developing a sense of community.
Through this program the children experience what it is like to bring joy into the lives of others.
We look forward to this Intergenerational Program being an ongoing part of the children’s experience at Florence Rd Pre School.
