Tag: emotions

EveryBunny Dance!

~ bumps2bairns

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

Flashy fun!

~ bumps2bairns

The dark can be scary, and it can also be exciting! If we can give children fun experiences with darkness, where they feel in control, the easier they will feel about it and their fears will gradually fade

Judge this activity according to your child – it does not need total darkness. They may be happy just spending the time experimenting with drawing the curtains during the day to see the changes in a room. Or they may want the full pitch dark experience!

It is a fun version of a treasure hunt, where children try to find shiny things in a darkened room by using a torch or the light on your phone. This can lead to explorations about shiny and dull things, reflections and brightness – or just to gradually more and more difficult searches as your child challenges you to find things.

You can do this indoors or out, but make sure you are in a safe place like your own garden if going outdoors in the dark

Click here for how to playDownload

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

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