Early years blog

Early years activity: St George’s big journey

St George never visited England – so what better way to mark his day than by finding out where he came from with this activity guide for nurseries.

Top tips: Adapting teaching to children’s individual preferences

Our tips focus on two areas where individual responsiveness makes a particularly significant difference: the learning environment and inclusive practice.

Top tips: Supporting parents with children’s dummy use

Dummies can be a helpful way to comfort and settle babies, especially in the early months. However, as children grow, it’s important to balance dummy use with lots of opportunities to talk, listen and interact. These tips will help staff to support parents to make confident, informed decisions about when and how to use a dummy and how to reduce reliance on it over time.

Supporting parents with children’s dummy use

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 engaging way.

Early years activity: Gardening Week – Supporting Communication and Language

There are numerous benefits of involving children in gardening experiences, including access to the natural environment, sensory rich activities, working together, promoting curiosity and observing cause and effect.

Top tips: Cultivating Curiosity through Gardening

There are numerous benefits of involving children in gardening experiences, including access to the natural environment, sensory rich activities, working together, promoting curiosity and observing cause and effect.

Child and practitioner looking at pink flower

Top tips: Conducting productive team meetings

Effective team meetings are essential. Well-structured meetings help staff stay informed, feel valued and work together more efficiently.

Early years activity: Fruit Salad

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 children’s to do this.

Top tips: Menu planning

Menu planning in nursery settings helps ensure children receive healthy, balanced meals that support their growth and development. A well-planned menu provides a variety of nutritious foods, allowing children to experience different flavours, textures and food groups while developing positive eating habits from an early age. Explore our top tips for successful menu planning.

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.