Tiny Visitors, Huge Impact: Weekly play sessions build bonds across generations

12 June 2025

Once a week on a Tuesday morning, a very special Flying Start Stay and Play session takes place at Tŷ Dewi Sant Residential Home in Penarth.

A group of babies and toddlers are brought to Tŷ Dewi Sant by their parents to play with the residents, sing familiar songs, and build strong connections between the youngest and oldest members of our communities - which can be particularly beneficial to residents living with dementia.

Kim Jones, an Early Years Practitioner with Flying Start, runs the play sessions at Tŷ Dewi Sant. She says the sessions are extremely valuable for all who join in: “It's also about encouraging parents to come with their little ones and it's a lovely way or parents to meet other parents. There may be a difference in situations, some of them may be isolated and not confident yet to attend larger groups.

“But doing it here is the most heartwarming thing I think I've ever done. The residents come in, and it’s about how they engage, how they interact, how they love singing and how the parents respond to them too - it just is a feel-good group.”

“It's grown too – as with any stay and play session, it's when parents can come - because they all have busy lives – but if they're able to come along, even if they weren't able to stay the full hour, they can just pop in.

“Some of the mums have experienced difficult things with grandparents and some of the children may not have grandparents who live local either. Some of the residents may not see their family all the time, and it probably brings back memories of their children, their grandchildren, when they were little, so it can only have a positive effect all around.”

Becky and her daughter Elsie have been attending the sessions for several weeks since the beginning of spring.

Speaking of their experiences, Becky said the sessions are both heartwarming and emotional: “The ladies here get so excited to see the children and the children are so receptive to their praise and the attention that they give them.

“I think in the six weeks we've been coming, they were building up the relationships and Elsie is getting a lot more confident and high-fiving them on the way out too and they look forward to seeing her week after week.”

Becky added: “We've been coming religiously since we started. I just love coming with Elsie, and when we do the singing at the end, that really gets everyone going!”

The scheme began in January 2025 following a proposal from Clare O’Toole, Manager at Tŷ Dewi Sant, who reached out to Flying Start Manager Kath Clarke, to explore ways of introducing the sessions.

Eager to collaborate, Kath agreed on an initial six-week programme of sessions.

Clare explained: “We actually had one of our own staff members who had recently had a baby, and she brought her child in to see the residents. When the baby came in, the residents’ faces just lit up – it was absolutely amazing to see the impact that it had straight away.

“So I thought to myself, right I’ve got to make this happen on a weekly basis and how can I go about that.

“You’ll see the difference in the residents, in how they are – they’ll kneel on the floor and play with the children – whereas you’d never imagine that they would be able to do that at other times. Having the children there just gives them the energy and motivation to want to do that.

“It is the highlight of the week, they all look forward to the children coming in, it really lifts their mood – and in the afternoon then, you’ll go around and you’ll hear the residents chatting about the time they’ve had with the babies."

Since the initial six-week pilot, the sessions have gone from strength to strength and are now a cherished fixture during the school terms, bringing the older residents, children, and their families together each week.