Storytime outdoors offers children a wonderful opportunity to combine literacy, physical activity and imaginative play. Taking a familiar story into the natural environment encourages children to become active participants rather than just listeners, inspiring them to explore, move, create and collaborate. By inventing their own version of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, children develop… Continue reading Early years activity: Outdoor Storytime
Blog Tag: Activity
Early years activity: Friendship circle
Practitioners play an important role in supporting children’s friendships, through creating inclusive environments, role modelling positive interactions and providing opportunities for children to socialise in varied peer groups. Learning how to be a good friend builds the foundations for future healthy relationships and confident socialisation, which supports positive mental well-being. Friendship circle learning aims Resources… Continue reading Early years activity: Friendship circle
Early years activity: Exploring our amazing planet with loose parts
Children are naturally curious about the world around them, and open-ended play with loose parts provides endless opportunities for exploration, creativity and discovery. Our planet is full of fascinating environments, from lush rainforests and sandy deserts to icy polar regions and rocky coastlines. This activity introduces children to some of the diverse habitats found around… Continue reading Early years activity: Exploring our amazing planet with loose parts
Early years activity: Making it up as we go
Here’s a creative activity that firmly puts process before product. Children explore loose parts and recyclables with only their curiosity and freedom to change their minds and no fixed outcome expected. Making it up as we go learning aims Resources you will need for this activity Making it up as we go activity outline How to extend this activity NDNA… Continue reading Early years activity: Making it up as we go
Early years activity: Beanbag play
Physical activity is an essential part of children’s development, helping to build strength, coordination, balance and confidence while promoting a healthy lifestyle. These simple beanbag activities encourage active play through fun, engaging experiences. Beanbag play learning aims Resources you will need for this activity Beanbag play activity outline How to extend this activity You could redo each… Continue reading Early years activity: Beanbag play
Early years activity: Sensory sounds space
Outdoor play provides children with opportunities to use their energy as they run, climb, play, and explore. To support the body’s natural rhythm of activity and rest, the outdoor environment should also include quiet spaces where children can relax, recharge, reflect, and observe the natural world, enjoying peaceful moments that promote their emotional well-being and self-regulation. Sensory sounds space learning… Continue reading Early years activity: Sensory sounds space
Early years activity: Nature Rangers Role Play
Promote imaginative and outdoor play with a Nature Rangers-themed role play area. Children can search for natural treasures, care for wildlife and discover the wonders of the natural world through exciting adventures. This engaging activity encourages curiosity, communication, teamwork and a love of nature as children take on special missions to protect, investigate and care for the world around them. Nature Rangers Role Play… Continue reading Early years activity: Nature Rangers Role Play
Early years activity: Look what I can do
This July, we mark Disability Pride Month with a simple, sensory printing activity using paint and paper. Children make prints with their hands, feet, elbows, fingers, fists, feet, knees, choosing for themselves how their body meets the page. The resulting display celebrates the fact that there is no single right way for a body to work and that… Continue reading Early years activity: Look what I can do
Minibeast and bug discovery early years activity
In this activity, children will become little explorers as they go on a minibeast and bug discovery adventure. Using magnifying glasses, they can closely observe the creatures they discover, encouraging curiosity, careful observation and early scientific thinking. The activity also helps children develop an appreciation of the natural world and promotes respect and care for living things. Learning activities What you’ll need… Continue reading Minibeast and bug discovery early years activity
Early years activity: Ball bonanza
Physical activity is essential for good health and well-being and the activity ideas below are designed to support children’s gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination and confidence through a range of high energy ball games, offering lots of fun. Ball bonanza learning aims Resources you will need for this activity See individual activities. Ball… Continue reading Early years activity: Ball bonanza
Early years activity: World Bee Day
Celebrate World Bee Day with this meaningful activity. Children use natural and recycled materials to build their very own bee hotel – a safe, cosy shelter for bees to rest and nest. Through exploring, making and doing something real for nature, children begin to understand why bees matter and how even the smallest actions can make a huge difference. World Bee Day learning aims Resources you… Continue reading Early years activity: World Bee Day
Nursery healthy eating activity: Teddy Bears Picnic
This fun and engaging activity encourages children to explore new foods, make choices and enjoy meaningful shared moments in a relaxed outdoor environment. Children are actively involved throughout the experience – choosing healthy foods, helping to prepare them and then enjoying their picnic together with friends and their teddies. Along the way, they develop communication and social skills,… Continue reading Nursery healthy eating activity: Teddy Bears Picnic
Early years activity: Making a picture book together
This activity supports practitioners to create a special picture book by inviting children to draw their own ideas as part of a shared story. Adults are there to support each child with their picture and write down their words, helping to build language and confidence. All the pages are then put together into a book… Continue reading Early years activity: Making a picture book together
Early years activity: We’re Going on a Shape Hunt
Support children to develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics through engaging activities to explore shape. Our activity takes children into their local community to identify shapes in a familiar environment. We’re Going on a Shape Hunt learning aims Resources you will need for this activity We’re Going on a Shape Hunt activity outline How… Continue reading Early years activity: We’re Going on a Shape Hunt
Early years activity: Nature inspired playdough exploration
Playdough offers a rich sensory experience that nurtures creativity, imagination and fine motor development. Create an inviting space where children feel inspired to explore and engage in sensory play. This open-ended experience encourages children to experiment, create and express their ideas freely, supporting their curiosity and individuality. Nature inspired playdough exploration learning aims Resources you will need for… Continue reading Early years activity: Nature inspired playdough exploration
Early years activity: Caring for our planet
This sensory play activity provides young children with a hands-on opportunity to explore caring for the environment. Through imaginative play, children are introduced to the idea that oceans can become polluted and that they can help to make a difference. The activity encourages curiosity, cooperation and early awareness of looking after the world around them in a simple and… Continue reading Early years activity: Caring for our planet
Early years activity: Fruit Salad
Encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age is essential for children’s growth and development. Making a fruit salad provides opportunities for children to explore different tastes, textures, weights and colours while developing positive attitudes towards nutritious foods. Fruit salad learning aims Resources you will need for this activity Fruit salad activity outline How to extend this activity Create a ‘fruit chart’ where children can… Continue reading Early years activity: Fruit Salad
Early years activity: Outdoors dance time
Bring movement, music and imagination together with this fun outdoors dance time activity. Children are encouraged to explore creative expression as they move like elements of the natural world – from swaying trees to fluttering butterflies. This activity supports physical development and gives children the freedom to express themselves in fun and imaginative ways. Outdoors… Continue reading Early years activity: Outdoors dance time
Early years activity: Number rhyme time
Developing confident mathematicians with a positive attitude and interest in maths starts in a child’s earliest years. Before children can understand and count purposefully, they need to develop a sense of number (what numbers are, what they mean, what different numbers look like as a physical concept and what they can do with them) and singing number rhymes will support… Continue reading Early years activity: Number rhyme time
Early years activity: Loose parts art-faces
This loose parts art activity encourages children to create faces using a variety of open-ended materials. They are then able to describe their faces and perhaps their emotions that they have included in their art. Loose parts art-faces learning aims Resources you will need for this activity Provide a wide range of loose parts, including but not limited… Continue reading Early years activity: Loose parts art-faces