Naíonraí
A naíonra is a group of children between the ages of 3-5 years who come together each day for sessional hours, under the guidance and direction of a Stiúrthóir (leader), to play and to learn through play.
The naíonra has 2 main objectives:
- to help children develop in every way
- to help the child to acquire Irish or to improve his/her knowledge of Irish by using it as a means of communication
Children are involved in a range of activities and games, using sand and water as well as using age-appropriate toys. There is an emphasis on arts and crafts. Skills are also developed in the areas of reading, writing and maths. Irish is the only language used throughout the session. There is no pressure put on the children to learn Irish.
The idea is that the child will acquire their second language in the same way they acquired their first language by:
listening, understanding, isolating words and structures and eventually producing words, phrases and sentences
For further details contact Forbairt Naíonraí Teo, who are the leading national voluntary agency in Ireland for promoting Irish through pre-school education.
If you’re interested in parent and baby/toddler groups which operate through the Irish language, Comhluadar runs a number of groups around the country.
Links and Resources
Comhluadar
This organisation was founded in 1994 to support parents who want to speak Irish with their children. All around the country families are registering with Comhluadar in local groups.
Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta
Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta is an all-Ireland voluntary organisation which supports the promotion of education and care services in Irish for children from birth.