Sock Puppet Friends!

~ bumps2bairns

When you’re sorting laundry there’s a good chance you’ll find some socks!

It’s easy to turn these into simple puppets that can delight your child and get their imagination going.

Puppets are a great way to develop communication skills – some children find it easier to express feelings and needs through a puppet too.

You can make them as fancy as you like, and your child might like to help you (or let you help them)

Making the puppet is only the start. The real fun begins when your child starts to play with their new puppet friend! You can join in too …

Any why not do a puppet show during a video call with a grandparent or anyone else your child loves and misses seeing!

Click here for ideas how to make and then play!Download

Where’s that sheep?

~ bumps2bairns

A fun rhyme today about some naughty sheep who get lost – poor Little Bo Peep!

Losing things and finding them is all part of life, and this is a gentle way for children to learn about it and how to cope

And we have some ideas for turning this into a game of hide-and-seek, or lose-and-seek, that you can play indoors or out

If playing outdoors, always follow the latest health advice of course

Click here for words, tune and play ideas!Download

Let’s “write” a letter!

~ bumps2bairns

We all have folk we miss at the moment, and young children are no different

Today’s idea is about how to help your child send a letter to someone they love and miss

Of course, you may have to do most of the writing. But you can use your child’s ideas for what to say, and they can make marks and add a picture, or even do some of the writing if they can

It is a great way to feel close to someone who is not with us, and to learn how to feel better when we are down. Children can also develop their fine motor skills and ideas about how texts work

Click here for ideas to help youDownload

Let’s go shopping!

~ bumps2bairns

It really can be fun going shopping with your child, particularly when you don’t even need to leave your house! 

Setting up a shop using things around your home can while away the hours (or several minutes at least!) and help your child to understand about the different kinds of shops and how money is used.

You can bring in children of different ages to play too – the children will develop the ideas themselves

It is also a great game for just being together, learning new words and having a laugh, as you sell and buy things – but don’t think you can out-haggle a young child!

Happy shopping! 😊

Click here for ideas how to playDownload

Fruit Kebabs!

~ bumps2bairns

A nice, colourful fruit kebab is refreshing and fun to make with your child, especially during warm weather. 

It can sometimes be tricky to get children to taste new fruits and this is a great way of helping them to have a wee try whilst having fun. 

At the same time, they will be learning vocabulary about colours, food, about before/after, big/small – and practising finger skills that are great for pre-writing, as well as learning about patterns and sorting

Click here for ideas how to take it furtherDownload

If you don’t have fruit at home right now, then there are some fun online games about food and cooking here

Sharing our Stories

~ bumps2bairns

Every family has its ups and downs, but most have some happy or funny stories that children love to hear

Today is all about helping your child learn about the past, to practise asking questions. They will learn about how stories work too, and develop their understanding of sequences – great for later literacy and maths

But it is really all about feeling close and safe and cosy together. All you need are a few photos – about you, the family, your child when they were smaller – anything you’d like to tell your child about

This is a great thing to try during video chat with grandparents, family, friends – anyone your child might be missing who can show them a photo from the past and tell them about it

Or, make a photo diary of the day with your child to tell everyone about later!

Click here for ideas how to play!Download

Treasure Hunt!

~ bumps2bairns

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

Spot the Difference!

~ bumps2bairns

Adults have two really important skills that we almost never think about. But they underlie nearly every decision we make.

Think about how we choose where to go on holiday – we compare different options (sunshine or shopping?) To do this we have to put things into categories and compare them.

The other skill is seeing things from more than one perspective. This is all about understanding other people, and situations. It’s also a really important part of maths and problem solving

So how do we learn these skills? Through playing and talking of course!

Today’s idea is all about spotting the difference between any objects you have in the home. You can play it online too once your child has got the idea of it

Click here for how to playDownload

Copy Cats!

~ bumps2bairns

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

A space of my own!

~ bumps2bairns

Even in the most loving homes, we get on top of each other from time to time. Today’s idea is all about making a den, a place to feel safe and secure

At the same time, we learn all about what it is like to feel good, and how to manage if we feel stressed

And about personal space and why it matters, about being in control of things – and there is no limit to the stories and games we can make up in a well made den!

You can use a blanket, behind the sofa – anything you have to hand. Or take it outside (following health advice always) if you have a garden or balcony

You can download some ideas hereDownload

This kind of space can be very helpful for children who have sensory issues or who get over-stressed quite easily. Click here for some more ideas that might help them

Incy Wincy Spider

~ bumps2bairns

An old favourite today that is great for developing ideas of up and down, finger movements, learning about weather …

But most children will want to know about the creepy crawlies, so we have some ideas for how you can explore that too!

Remember it does not matter if you sing like a drainpipe – your child will love to do this song with you. Words and actions are on the sheet, or you can find them on this link too

Click here for words and ideas for playDownload

Plop Bucket

~ bumps2bairns

Today’s idea is very simple – all you need is a bucket of water and some cleaned coins

But from this play, children can learn about taking turns, can develop their hand-eye coordination (really useful for writing later on, not to mention sports)

And they can count out their winnings, learn about different coin values – all the while doing some science as they watch the way coins float and fall in water!

All the family can play – you can even challenge the grandparents over a video-call …

Click here for how to play & extendDownload

I’m forever blowing bubbles!

~ bumps2bairns ~ Leave a comment

Blowing bubble pictures is a quick, easy and fun way to create fantastic masterpieces – and your children can even have a go as well!

Using items that you will hopefully have to hand, this craft activity can help children to develop their language – naming colours and shapes and describing patterns.

It is also a wonderful opportunity for children to express themselves through art, producing beautiful pictures without having to feel anxious about how skilled they are with pencils or paint brushes.

Anyone can have a go, and you could even do an art show to display your pictures

Click here for a guide to how to playDownload