Education resources provider Findel has partnered with CBeebies series Yakka Dee! to launch a new collection of early language resources for educators.
Available through Findel’s online education platform, EuHu, the resources give early years professionals practical support for children’s communication and language development.
Featured on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer, Yakka Dee! has 146 episodes available across multiple countries. Its YouTube channel has more than two million subscribers and over two billion views.
Yakka Dee! is based on an original idea by King Banana TV’s Katie Simmons and Lotte Elwell. It was tested in a school for children with speech, language and communication difficulties, in collaboration with a speech and language therapist.
The show helps all children who are first learning to speak, or learning English as a second language, find their voice, learn new words and celebrate their progress.
Each episode of series one to six focuses on a single word, introducing children to their first 120 words and covering every sound they need to speak English.
The 26 episodes of series seven provide children with the foundation of phonics learning, linking sounds to each letter of the alphabet.
As part of the partnership between Yakka Dee! and Findel, educators will be able to access a growing collection of printables, including colouring sheets, puzzles, treasure hunts and games, all linked to early language learning.
Commenting on the partnership, Katie Simmons and Lotte Elwell, creative directors at King Banana TV, said: “Yakka Dee! was created to help children find their voice and make speech and language learning fun, whatever their starting point.
“Through EuHu, practitioners can now take the words and sounds children discover in the series and build on them in their settings, with activities that keep the learning going long after the episode ends.”
The partnership with Findel will extend Yakka Dee! beyond TV and online into early years settings, with the first materials available on EuHu this autumn.
Seasonal content will be added for key moments in the year, such as Halloween, alongside links to Yakka Dee! playlists on YouTube and full episodes on BBC iPlayer.
Yakka Dee! plans to expand its EuHu offering over time to include learning plans and live lessons.
Pronounced ‘yoo-hoo’ and short for Educator Hub, EuHu is Findel’s free-to-use and subscription-based platform, featuring content created by teachers and practitioners regarded as experts in their fields.
Findel’s chief executive, Chris Mahady, added: “Speech and language are the foundation for so much of children’s early learning, and Yakka Dee! was developed with specialist input from the start.
“By bringing it to EuHu, we’re making it easier for early years professionals to access practical content that supports children’s language development, while helping to save valuable planning time.”
Headquartered in Hyde, Greater Manchester, Findel’s origins as an educational resources supplier can be traced back to 1817.
Today, its brands and websites offer more than 32,000 products to educators and parents based in the UK and overseas, with the business exporting to 130 countries.
For more information on Yakka Dee!, visit www.yakkadee.com. For more information on Findel, visit www.findel-education.co.uk.
