Mudiad Meithrin will celebrate the tenth anniversary of Cymraeg i Blant with a special Baby Party at its stand at the 2026 Y Garreg Las National Eisteddfod.
The party will take place at 12 noon on Wednesday, 5 August, bringing together families, partners and supporters of Cymraeg i Blant to mark this special milestone.
Since it was established, Cymraeg i Blant has helped thousands of parents and expectant parents introduce and use Welsh with their children from the antenatal period onwards. The programme provides families with information, advice and friendly sessions, including Stori a Chân (Story and Song), Tylino Babi (Baby Massage) and Ioga Babi (Baby Yoga).
Between them, the Welsh for Kids officers (a team of 25) have over 170 years of experience supporting families to pass on the Welsh language. Over the past 10 years, it’s estimated that the officers have run over 16,500 Story and Rhyme sessions for more than 130,000 adults and their families.
During the 12 months up to the end of March 2026 alone, the Cymraeg i Blant team:
- visited 85 antenatal clinics, speaking to 856 parents about passing on Welsh within the home;
- delivered 3,192 Stori a Chân (Story and Rhyme Time), Tylino Babi (Baby Massage) and Ioga Babi (Baby Yoga) sessions to nearly 25,000 parents and babies across Wales
- registered 8,000 parents for Cymraeg i Blant sessions.
Dinah Ellis, Cymraeg i Blant Manager, said:
“Supporting parents, carers, and families to pass on or introduce Welsh to their kids is key to reaching a million Welsh speakers by 2050. Over the past ten years, Cymraeg i Blant has gone from strength to strength with the team offering engaging sessions to support parents by sharing information about Welsh education and childcare, as well as practical ideas on how to bring Welsh into the home.”
Cymraeg i Blant also supports parents in choosing Welsh-medium education, encourages the transmission of Welsh within the home and works with the health sector to share messages about the benefits of using Welsh with babies from the antenatal period onwards.
Dr Catrin Edwards, Chief Executive of Mudiad Meithrin, said:
“Turning 10 is a huge milestone, and we’re thrilled that Cymraeg i Blant is a key part of the Mudiad Meithrin program, welcoming families to Welsh from day one. Singing, playing, and moving together in Welsh allows the language to grow naturally between parents and their babies, starting a language journey for the family that can last a lifetime – through the Cylch Meithrin, into Welsh education, and beyond at home and in the community.
We look forward to welcoming families, partners and friends of the programme to the Baby Party at the Eisteddfod, and to coming together to mark this special occasion.