Early childhood teacher Sue Cant encourages parents to “get back to basics” in her new book Small Fry: Play.

Ms Cant, who has taught child and family studies at Moss Vale TAFE for the past eight years and has had a total of more than 30 years experience in the childcare industry, worked on the book with the creators of two other Small Fry publications, Susie Cameron and Katrina Crook.

Ms Cameron has worked in marketing and communications for 17 years while Katrina Crook is a photographer and has been an assistant cinematographer on feature films.

Ms Cant said the two women had previously been involved in the publishing of Small Fry: Inspiration for Cooking Kids and Small Fry: Inspiration for Playing Outdoors with Kids.

“Susie and Katrina recognised there was little available in the market providing information on simple childhood activities and they asked me to work on a book that provided play tips for mums,” she said.

“They wanted something that had a more parent focused approach.

“We want to love and nurture our children, pass on our values and beliefs and give them every advantage.

“In today’s competitive world, we feel an overwhelming responsibility to provide our children with everything they need to have a successful life, but everything they need already exists in a home that provides time, opportunities and the resources to play.

“Parents really don’t need to spend a fortune for the kids to get everything they need to grow up.”

Ms Cant said an important tip for all parents to remember was to relax, enjoy their kids and the space they had and have fun with their children.

“It is most important to celebrate the role of a family and to make time to enjoy being a family,” she said.

“It’s about experiments and experiences and there are lots of lovely pictures that capture the underlying theme of family fun in this book.”

Ms Cant said that in a generation of “cotton wool” kids it was important to encourage children to be more adventurous in play.