Storytelling is a wonderful way to engage young children, and physical storytelling makes the experience even more meaningful. By combining movement, imagination and language, physical storytelling encourages children to become active participants as they bring a story to life. Use our top tips below to help ensure every child can take part, feel included and… Continue reading Top tips: Inclusive Physical Storytelling
Blog Tag: MyNDNA
Early years activity: Outdoor Storytime
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
Top tips: Safety in play
Providing a stimulating, safe environment enables children to explore, be curious and to learn and develop in an environment where the risk of harm is minimised. Review our top tips as part of your safety in play approach. Top tips for safety in play 1. Ensure appropriate supervision according to children’s age, stage of development… Continue reading Top tips: Safety in play
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
Top tips: Process over product
We often praise the finished picture, model or block tower, but it’s the thinking and the changing ideas that builds real creative confidence. When we focus on the process rather than the product, children learn that ideas are worth exploring and testing and above all, valued. When engaged in creative activities with the children, keep these top tips in mind: Top tips for process over product NDNA products… Continue reading Top tips: Process over product
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
Facilitating Child-Initiated Play
Child-initiated play is an essential part of early years practice, allowing children to explore, make choices, develop independence and follow their own interests. Practitioners play a key role in creating an environment where children feel confident to investigate, be creative and learn through meaningful experiences. Here are our top tips for facilitating effective, child initiated play. Child-initiated play top tips NDNA products… Continue reading Facilitating Child-Initiated 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
Top tips: Child safety – Promoting safety in the home
Children under the age of five are the group most at risk of accidents in the home. Our top tips will help you to promote the importance of creating a safe home environment with parents and families. Top tips for child safety – Promoting safety in the home RoSPA say the leading causes of home accidents for under-fives are falls, burns and… Continue reading Top tips: Child safety – Promoting safety in the home
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
Top tips: Managed risk taking
Children are naturally curious and have an instinctive desire to explore, investigate, climb, test boundaries and challenge themselves. Opportunities to take managed risks are an important part of children’s learning and development, helping them to build confidence, resilience, problem-solving skills, physical competence and an understanding of how to keep themselves safe. By providing children with opportunities to… Continue reading Top tips: Managed risk taking
Top tips: Inclusion starts here
Creating a genuinely inclusive team doesn’t just happen. It requires nursery leaders to look honestly at the culture they are building, not only policies in the file, but the everyday moments that let each member of the team know they are valued and belong. The following tips are starting points for reflection and action. Top tips for inclusion starts here NDNA products… Continue reading Top tips: Inclusion starts here
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
Top tips: Encouraging curiosity and why it matters
Curiosity is one of the most important skills children can develop. Curious children are more confident learners, better problem-solvers and more engaged with the world around them. When children ask questions, explore and investigate, they are building the foundations for lifelong learning. Use our top tips to ensure children are encouraged to be curious both… Continue reading Top tips: Encouraging curiosity and why it matters
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
Top tips: Free summer activity ideas for families
Summer can be a time when parents are looking for budget friendly ideas to entertain the family. Having fun doesn’t have to cost money, so why not create a list of fun, free activities for your families to enjoy, starting with the tips below. NDNA products to support you with this tip Early years parent partnerships: developing positive relationships with parents… Continue reading Top tips: Free summer activity ideas for families
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
Top tips: Movement matters
Movement comes naturally to young children – they climb, spin, jump and wriggle their way through the world long before they can put any of it into words. However, understanding that movement is good for their overall well-being is something children learn gradually, through experience and through the language and attitudes of the adults around them. As a nursery practitioner, you are uniquely placed to… Continue reading Top tips: Movement matters