T & A were given a tuff spot tray for Christmas and we’ve been enjoying putting it to use. In the last couple of months A has become increasingly engaged in playing and exploring the things around him. I love this age; it’s so fun to see what they enjoy and how they react to […]
language & literacy
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Sweet Shop Role Play
Role play is a brilliant activity for children as it promotes the use of language; applying specific skills (such as counting or writing) in context; is great for social development; and best of all is lots of FUN! For T’s 4th birthday we gave her a ‘shop front’, and for one of her party activities, […]
BFG Dream Potions
For her last birthday, T had a ‘story’ themed party. The children came dressed as book characters and we had several activities based around some of T’s favourite books. My favourite of all of these was making dream potions, inspired by The BFG! I have to admit that being 4, we haven’t actually read the […]
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Make an Arctic Small World
Last week, I wrote about how to Make Your Own Small World Scene. Small worlds are SO much fun and can while away far too many hours on Pinterest and Instagram looking at ones which other people have put together – so many inviting scenes just waiting to be played with! This week, we have […]
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Make Your Own Small World Scene
When I taught Reception, small world scenes were one of my favourite activities to prepare, and these days I love to do it for T. I think they make such a lovely activity, combining the creativity of fantasy and storytelling with the development of the child’s scientific and geographical understanding of the world around them. […]
Spring Sensory Bin
At Easter, T was sent some little chicks and some table decorations by her Grandparents. One look at them and I thought they’d be perfect for a quick and easy spring sensory bin! In addition to the chicks and decorations, I added: – some dried lentils, – a nest that I found in ASDA’s Easter […]
8 French Activities for Preschoolers
In the past T and I have often themed our week of play as I find it helps me to be a bit more intentional and creative about how we spend our time together. Recently though, I haven’t been great at getting my act together and taking the time to plan ahead. However, after reading […]
Brilliant Books: Usborne Listen and Learn First French Words
Recently we’ve been doing some France-themed play, and to support this, we got Usborne’s Listen and Learn First French Words from our local library.
Bienvenue sur Le Marché: French Market Role Play
As you may have seen if you follow me on Instagram, this week we’ve had a French theme to our play. One of my favourite things to do when in France is to visit the local market, so I decided to set up a simple market role play for T to play with. To set […]
Brilliant Books: There’s a Dinosaur in my Bathtub
I’m back with another ‘Brilliant Books’! This time I’m featuring a recent loan from our local library which has really appealed to T’s sense of humour. There’s a Dinosaur in my Bathtub is a whimsical tale about a girl named Amelia and the dinosaur who has come to stay for the summer. The book begins […]