The Princess of Wales and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood have launched a new film series! Catherine is said to have been closely involved in the development of the animated films that show how everyday actions support the development of children in their earliest years. The royal mom of three spent time with illustrators and met with early years practitioners who were involved in the development of the films during a creative workshop back in June. Footage from the Princess' visit was included in a reel shared by the Centre for Early Childhood on Aug. 6.
The Princess of Wales marked the launch on Wednesday saying: “Early childhood has been recognised as the golden opportunity to build strong foundations for future life health and happiness. The new animated films from The Centre of Early Childhood showcase how adults can create nurturing, loving interactions with children, helping to foster social and emotional development during their earliest years."
“These core social and emotional skills are essential in forming healthy relationships and are fundamental building blocks that can carry us through life," she continued. “That is why we want to raise the awareness of, and celebrate, the extraordinary value of everyday moments of connection which matter more than ever in a rapidly changing world."
The Princess also pointed out that "early childhood offers a sacred opportunity to transform our societies for the better and by nurturing these skills in our babies and children, we will be raising a younger generation better equipped to face the future.”
The films, also available in Welsh and British Sign Language, were "designed to illustrate the science behind early social and emotional development" and were "created for professionals and volunteers working with families, the animations come with supporting resources to help enable meaningful conversations with parents and carers," according to the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The topics covered in the films include how we grow an emotionally healthy brain, noticing and navigating feelings, managing big feelings together, back and forth interactions, supporting early learning and creating space for connection. The animated series is available on the Centre for Early Childhood's YouTube channel.
The newly released films build on the Centre for Early Childhood's Shaping Us Framework, which was published earlier this year. Catherine has previously said, “The Shaping Us Framework is designed to provide an accessible way of focusing on social and emotional skills. It can be used by organisations of all shapes and sizes to design and deliver interventions that raise awareness across society, and to support the development of these critically important skills for people at all stages of life.”