Early years blog

Top tips: Making Reading Fun at Home

Reading with your child is one of the most valuable things you can do. It strengthens your bond, supports their learning and development, and most importantly - it’s fun!

Early years activity: Little Gardeners – Cress Caterpillars

Bring a little nature indoors with this fun and simple Cress Caterpillars activity. Children will love creating their own cheerful caterpillar while exploring how plants grow and change.

Top tips: Encouraging reading at home

Parents will have a range of experiences of early reading and formal schooling and this may affect their confidence towards reading with their own child. To develop parents' confidence and help promote reading in the home, see our tips on encouraging reading at home.

Early years activity: World Book Day

World Book Day is an annual celebration that offers a chance to celebrate children’s favourite story books and characters. Our activity encourages children to share books they cherish while discovering the favourites of others too.

Top tips: Time management and prioritsing tasks

Effective time management helps the team stay calm, responsive and focused on what matters most: the children. As a nursery manager, leading good practice in prioritising tasks supports staff well-being and the effective running of the nursery.

Early years activity: Magic mystery box

The Magic Mystery Box is a playful activity that encourages young children to communicate, listen and share ideas. The surprise element captures interest, while the predictable routine helps children feel safe to express themselves using words, sounds, gestures or facial expressions.

Early years activity: Mini movers obstacle challenge

Here’s a simple, adaptable, mini movers obstacle challenge activity using your everyday nursery equipment. Children balance, crawl, jump and climb their way around the route, building strength, coordination, practice listening, turn-taking and positional language (under, over, on etc). Quick to set up, easy to adapt and a brilliant way to get your children moving.

Top tips: Inclusion in action

The reasonable adjustments you make so that all children can access play, learning and routines alongside their peers don’t need to be complicated or costly. It’s often about planning ahead, being flexible and removing barriers from the environment, communication and expectations.

Top tips: Supporting your team’s well-being

Educating and caring for young children is an incredibly rewarding role, but it can also be demanding and exhausting. Just as we nurture the children in our care, it’s important to look after our staff and support their well-being at work. Explore our top tips for caring for your team.

Early years activity: Frozen balloon explorers

Playing with ramps is a fun activity that will see children play and explore as they investigate cause and effect and forces.