early help for children from 0 to 7
A chance to get wiggling at the same time as learning all about words and sounds
Lots to explore too – can you find a worm (be gentle if you do)? Where do different animals like to live?
You can draw wiggly worms (really good outside with chalk or on sand or mud with a stick) or make some out of play dough
If you don’t know the tune or words, they are all on the sheet, with some fun videos too.
If the links on the pdf don’t work, then they are here:
Did you know that helping you sort the clean clothes can be good for your child’s maths? Or that it helps them learn how to concentrate or learn new words?
This idea is all about how to turn a bothersome daily chore into something you might enjoy together
As with everything, don’t feel you have to, and don’t force your child. Stop when you’ve both had enough!
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.
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?
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.
Or if you’ve still got lots of fresh snow, why not make a snowman, a snow dog, a nice snow-anything!
Another game today that can be played outside at a safe distance of 2 metres with family or friends – or at home just with your child
It is an old favourite that is usually a lot of laughs, but there is a lot of learning too
Your child will be developing the key skill of “not doing” something – stopping ourselves doing or saying something is really hard and games like this help build your child’s control over their actions
Plus, dancing around and laughing at people (safely) falling over is really good for our wellbeing …
The weather forecast for the weekend is good so a play idea today that can be done safely when meeting up with family or friends and following public health guidance
But it is also fun at home too
It is all about helping your child do the same actions in different ways. This will help build coordination and self-control. It is as simple as starting off jumping quickly, and then jumping slowly … Or pretending to brush your teeth as though you are happy, and then as though you are grumpy.
Along the way, they will learn lots of words to describe actions and they may also have fun challenging you or others
Sometimes life just does not make sense, and today’s rhyme certainly doesn’t!
Children enjoy nonsense, and it is a great way to play with language and let off steam at the same time
Hearing different sounds and how they fit together is an important foundation for reading and spelling.
And there is lots of play you can try after. Maybe not over the moon, but can you jump over a stick (how high?) or a puddle?
You can even do jumping contests out and about with loved ones while keeping a 2m distance
Never mind the Tiger who came to tea, how about an elephant?
We have a couple of elephant songs today that will get your child moving about, learning about words, coordination – but hopefully not knocking things over
Words and music videos are on the sheet and some play ideas to take the learning further – dress up as an elephant, look for big and small things, or see how much you can find out about animals!
Something for outdoors today – or inside if you have a suitable space that can get a bit wet!
It is all-day fun, and great for developing concentration, movement skills, vocabulary, understanding of cause and effect, science …
Use empty bottles, cartons or anything else you have around the house to build a water wall. Attach them to something static like a fence using screws, cable ties or garden wire. A basin at the bottom means you can collect the water and refill the containers on the wall. If you keep the lids of the containers you can pop them on and collect rain water to use next time.
Off on a journey in a little rowing boat – who will we meet?
This simple song has movements you can do together. It is very soothing, and helps children learn all about rhymes and words, as well as how to coordinate movement with another.
You can add your own to each verse – who knows where you will end up today!
Did you know that helping you sort the clean clothes can be good for your child’s maths? Or that it helps them learn how to concentrate or learn new words?
This idea is all about how to turn a bothersome daily chore into something you might enjoy together
As with everything, don’t feel you have to, and don’t force your child. Stop when you’ve both had enough!
bumps to bairns 