Melton tots at Little Stars Nursery take part in film inspired by Channel 4 series

Little Stars has been at the centre of the Leicestershire Joining the Generations Project, supported by the Central England Co-op and based on the Channel 4 series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, which has seen kids make weekly visits to nearby care home Gretton Court.

The generations join together for inspiring sessions of intergenerational play, where the children and residents enjoy music, singing and a range of other activities.

The sessions have proved a major success bringing health and wellbeing benefits for the residents and developing empathy and communication skills in the youngsters.

Laura Sanders, owner and manager of Little Stars Nursery, is passionate about the benefits of intergenerational play.

She said: “The children really enjoy the sessions, they see it as a party but actually the learning benefits are huge as well, developing their gross motor skills and fine motor skills through the kinds of activities we do in the sessions.

“The feedback from the residents of the home has also been amazing. One lady said to me it was the thing that kept her going through the week – to make that kind of impact on their wellbeing is incredible.”

“You can see in the film how wonderfully the children and the residents interact and how much joy and excitement is generated by the sessions.

“The model that we have developed is tried and tested and we now want to share that with others so they can see the long-term benefits this model brings to both young and old alike and hopefully utilise it themselves.”

n To watch the film online visit https://youtu.be/8X-edkBxqyA