Introducing an Innovative Method of Learning in Everyday Life – An Example of Successful Parenting

Aim of the project:

To introduce an innovative for Bulgarian methodology for working with families of children at risk of 2-4 years of age who have different specific needs, but all have communication difficulties. The project will provide valuable, long-term, and sustainable support to parents to develop their skills to monitor, analyze and train their children through 11 training modules and will have the opportunity to practice the accumulated skills twice a week. This methodology is important in two directions. The first is the support of families, and the second is the availability of research, which will prove its effectiveness. Family-mediated intervention and work on a family-oriented approach are prerequisites for successful and full parenting and higher results in the overall development of children. Training methods/training courses that will be implemented in the vocational training system and the needs of the parents will be developed within the project.

Activities:

Within 4 months, parents will discuss 11 topics with different strategies and approaches to stimulate the development of their children as well as those who teach them to better understand their child and be a teacher. Groups of 8-10 children will be held. Families will work on the methodology twice a week for an hour and a half. Progress will be traced through a video of routine activities within 1 and 3 minutes / the same activity for 1 family but different for others/ where parents will feel comfortable communicating with their children. It will track the change after 4 months taking the same routine and its development. At the same time, changing or adopting some adaptive skills such as dressing, undressing, eating and more will be observed. The development and change in communication will be reflected in short videos of daily activities tracked within 4 months. The results will be displayed in a tabular format that will account for the numerical and percentage difference.

Results:

The level of key competences and skills of the target group in terms of sustainable development of successful parenting will be improved; parents will feel secure and will adopt skills to communicate with the child and to cope with everyday difficulties; they will be more confident and accepted; parents will understand their role; children will improve their communication skills, socialization, and coping skills in day-to-day activities. The chances of full and favorable social integration of families will be improved, and the full inclusion of children in the education system will be encouraged. Attitudes to the development of children with special needs will change – when something is working and results; family relationships will be improved; the important role of parents and the high effectiveness of parent-child communication will be established. Continuity and tolerance will be promoted; the local community will be more informed about the way they work with these families and about the capacity they have and develops.