Category Archives: Learn through play

Feed the birds!

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The weather may have got a bit warmer, but there are lots of hungry birds around

So today’s idea is all about learning about caring for nature – and also a lot of planning and construction skills along the way

There is something about feed birds that makes us feel good too, so once the hard work is done, you can sit and watch the birds come and go.

Don’t worry if your child is not that interested making the feeder (though they may well want to help) – you might have more fun taking bread to ducks, or just putting out some crumbs.

Click here for how to make the feeder and ideas for play!Download

Making tracks

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Something today that you can do indoors or outside and can be done big or small depending on how much space you have to play with

If you’ve got some snowy slush or melty mud outside today, this is a great way to make it useful – or you could make some stepping stones across puddles

Making and then following tracks is a great way to build spatial awareness, and to learn the words and language connected with it.

There are lots of ways to do this – painting with cars on paper, making stepping stones outside – or just watching as a bike swooshes through a puddle

Click here for ideas!Download

Pancake Day!

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Even if we want to, we can’t spend the whole day eating pancakes – I know, I’ve tried!

There is lots of play, talking and fun we can have around pancakes though – planning, shopping, making, making some more …

So today we have some pancake-themed ideas including a couple of lovely stories to help calm everything down.

Click here for story and play ideas!Download

Walk with your ears!

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There are all kinds of things we love to do outside – walking, jumping, running around. But how often do we walk with our ears?

And sometimes we don’t have time for those things, because we have to get to the shops, or are running to get out of the rain!

There is so much going on to notice and learn from, and it takes no more time than what we were doing anyway.

Click here for how to play!Download

Bouncing balls

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Something active for what looks like another cold day.

This is not “just” bouncing and passing balls. Your child will learn a lot of science and maths – counting, how things move, forces.

Lots of words as well for describing movements, as they also develop their coordination skills. Great for sports, but also for school – hand/eye coordination is really important for writing, and a sense of space is vital for maths

But that’s for the future – click below for some ideas how to have fun, involve the whole family and learn at the same time. And if you still have a lot of snow about, then making and throwing snowballs is just as good

Ball Bouncing PatternsDownload

Jumping Words!

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What has jumping got to do with learning to read and spell? Good question!

If you have ever been abroad or heard a foreign language being spoken, it can be difficult to pick out the individual words

It’s like that for young children – they don’t always know consciously where one word ends and another starts. And this is really important for later literacy

Sounds boring? Nothing to do with play?

Today our Speech and Language Therapy colleagues have come up with a great set of games for learning about word boundaries. Once you get going, be warned, your child may not want to stop!

If your child does not get the idea, or does not enjoy it – never mind. Cuddle up and read a favourite story instead, it is just as good!

Click here for how to play …Download

Fun in the snow!

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You can never have too much fun in the snow, and the learning never stops either while you play and talk together

Today, many of us have lots of snow around, so some sledging is great to learning about balance, speed, slipperiness – and the words to describe them

For those who like building, there are some ideas for snow castles – whole snow villages, why not?

Or for the artistic, some ideas for creating beautiful sculptures and patterns with things you can find around outside

Click here for play ideasDownload

Awful Orchestra

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You don’t need expensive equipment to make music. Any household object has a playful tune in it if only we look or listen hard enough.

Music can express our deepest feelings and draw us together as families and communities

It is also an excuse to make a racket and have fun!

Today’s idea is all about children playing with rhythm and different sounds. Without even realising, this will develop their coordination and attention skills

It is also a great way to feel close, take turns and enjoy being together

Almost anything can be a musical instrument – some ideas in the sheet below. Make sure you keep an eye on your child so they are playing safely!

Click here for some ideas (earplugs not included)Download

Copy Cats!

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Children learn a lot from copying us – more than we think, and sometimes more than we’d like them to!

A very simple game today. All you do is some simple actions, say what you are doing, and see if your child or children can copy you.

It may not sound much, but it is great for building a bond, developing attention and growing your child’s vocabulary. And they are also developing executive function – the ability to choose and control actions

This is a good game to play on video calls with anyone your child is missing – grandparents, a brother or sister or a parent who is away.

Click here for how to play & how to take it furtherDownload

Safety note: make sure you avoid actions that involve touching the face so we all follow the current public health guidance

Let’s Move!

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One of the things people worry about is whether children can sit still. So, how do we learn this? By moving about, of course! As children move, and gain more control, they become more able to focus and be still

But that’s not really that important. Feeling good in your body, feeling in control of it – these are the foundations for resilience, the sense that we can cope with things and can have a go at a challenge

Today is all about moving and laughing. There is counting too, as you have to jump a certain number of times. You’ll need to tailor this to your child as some will know more numbers than others. If your child is secure counting to 2, 3 or 4, then start there and see if you can built another number on.

Or if, like many young children, your child is not that secure with counting at all – then let them jump or kick along with you as you count for them.

If this just turns into random movement, don’t worry – this means your child is developing coordination and that’s what they need right now.

Click here for how to play!Download

EveryBunny Dance!

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A story today that gets us moving about and dancing – you can do it indoors or out!

But first, settling down with a story, hearing it over and over, and interacting with the pictures – these are great ways for children to learn new words, develop concentration and listening skills

And how to manage feelings. There is a scary fox at one point! But it all turns out OK in the end (I won’t spoil the ending …)

So many play ideas to take the fun and learning further. Pretend to be a rabbit? Dance til someone says “fox” and then be still as you can? Find out more about the instruments the rabbits play – can you make a trumpet out of a cardboard tube or a drum out of, well, anything strong enough?

Click here for a link to the story and some play ideasDownload

Treasure Hunt!

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Today’s idea is to turn your home into an island full of treasure that children can hunt for

You can send them off to look for items, and while they burn off excess energy they will be learning all about attention and searching, and developing their memories.

You can make the searches as easy or as tricky as suits your child. How many blue things can they find? Can they bring you two things at a time?

Or you can play online with family, friends or anyone your child might be missing seeing or playing with

Make a walk a treasure hunt – can you spot a traffic light? A bird? A cloud?

Click here for ideas how to play!Download

Rainbow Snow!

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Today we have a way to unleash the creativity of the whole family, and for young children it is a chance to try out mark-making, creating works of art and experimenting with shapes

Snow can be lovely at first, but it can quickly get a bit patchy and tired.

By using coloured water to draw on the snow, children are also playing with ideas about “how much”, “how far” and also practising making plans

It will probably also be quite a laugh – try not to mind if it gets rather silly too.

Click here for how to play!Download

Or if you’ve still got lots of fresh snow, why not make a snowman, a snow dog, a nice snow-anything!

Snowman fun!

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Snow is forecast for today and tomorrow, so hopefully you will get some (but not too much!)

We don’t often get enough for a full size snowman, but that does not matter. There are smaller things to make – how about a mini snowman, snow cat, snow dog, snow mouse, snow “not sure what it is”?

A chance to explore and see what you can find to decorate – sticks, pebbles, leaves …

It is fun, and there is lots of learning about different feels and textures and how we describe them. Also about estimating, and talking about concepts like more, enough or less. And lots of maths too as we explore the shapes we make and chat about them.

And a final part can be watching your creation melt in the next few hours or days, saying goodbye – it may not seem much, but this can helps build resilience to change and loss too.

But mainly it is about having fun in the snow. Just make sure you find somewhere clean and safe to play.

Click here for some play ideas!Download

Patterns everywhere

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Have you ever thought about the huge variety of patterns that are part of our everyday lives? If not, today could be the day!

When children become aware of patterns, they are fascinated by them and will begin to see them in everything …

Understanding what makes a pattern helps children to learn things like rhythm and time, how to make predictions and many other skills they will use in daily life.  It even underlies learning about number and how to write a story.

Enjoy playing and talking together with your child today as you find patterns everywhere!

And remember, nature outside is full of patterns. Snowy or frosty days are great for pattern spotting but you need to be quick or they will disappear!

Click here for ideas to explore …Download