PARENTS in Dorset could benefit from a campaign launched by the NSPCC this month to help young families through lockdown.

The charity has created the Look Say Sing Play baby brain-building campaign for parents with children under the age of two which has been piloted in Devon and Gloucestershire and now launched nationally across the UK.

The campaign was created after a virtual focus group with parents and an Early Years practitioner was held which highlighted the challenges parents have been facing during the lockdown of caring for newborns without baby groups, soft play, playgrounds or seeing friends and family. It aims to empower parents by focusing on the brain-building benefits that everyday moments such as singing and playing with your child have.

NSPCC head of local campaigns, Helen Westerman, who hosted the virtual focus group, said: "We have had great success with Look, Say, Sing, Play during the pilot with more than 19,000 parents signing-up, and we’re now excited to share the resources with families across the UK.

"After weeks of no baby groups, soft play, playgrounds or seeing friends and family the parents and early years practitioner we spoke to were understandably worried about their children’s development, so it’s fantastic to hear that the Look, Say, Sing, Play tips have reassured and helped the parents keep their children entertained during this unsettling time.

To coincide with the launch, the NSPCC has also produced a series of YouTube videos showing parents at home trying out the Look, Say, Sing, Play tips with their little ones, using only what they can find around the house. It also explains how each fun task helps their child’s brain to develop.

Ms Westerman added: "The tips are all about the fun you can have with what’s lying around the house rather than having expensive toys or gadgets; or adding to the list of things parents already have to do."

Last year, an NSPCC survey of more than 2,000 parents and expectant parents revealed that 62% were unaware that the interactions with their new baby in moments such as playing, singing or story time can be brain-building ones.

For more information and to access the Look Say Sing Play tips, visit https://www.nspcc.org.uk