Mud play – why you don’t need a mud kitchen
Mud is possibly one of the most versatile resources your child can play with – and it’s free! As daunting as the prospect of adding mud to play can feel, it is also fun for grown-ups to get stuck in – even Dolly Parton sang the praises of mud at Glastonbury, getting her fans to chant along with her, “We can’t get enough of the music and the mud!”
Time to say no to the naughty step - what to do instead
Figuring out how to best support your child as they learn about the world and themselves can feel complex at times. As a parent, you can be bombarded with advice, tips and tricks that you may or may not agree with or want to use with your child. An area where people can be the most vocal about ‘handy hints’ is supporting your child’s behaviour, and the ways to respond to what are perceived as ‘negative’ behaviours. A technique that has caused some debate between parents, families and experts is something that is known as the naughty step.
Top fine motor development resources to buy
As a parent, it can feel like ‘Fine Motor Skills’ is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot by experts, but never really gets explained all too well. You might know it to be an essential part of your child’s physical learning (which is most certainly is!), but what even is it anyway? Let’s break it down.
Ten of our favourite early years problem-solving activities
A lot of the time when we hear the term ‘problem-solving’, our brain jumps back to the tricky maths teasers from our school days, and we immediately recoil a little. However, problem-solving is much more than number conundrums.
Messy play activities for early years
The term ‘messy play’ often conjures up images of primary-coloured paints splattered on the walls and children with jelly in their hair. It can just sound a lot like a way of handing over the contents of the kitchen cupboard and its surroundings to your child and leaving them to it. However, there is much more to it than the perceived chaos at the kitchen table!
Turn-taking, resilience and relationships - child development at the park
Outdoor play can provide many rich learning opportunities for young children. It can include places to explore, new experiences and can help in the development of many skills, including social and emotional development.
Outdoor play and creative development
The great outdoors is one of the best resources for developing creative play in young children. There are many areas outdoors that can be explored with your child, including your very own back garden!
"Splish, splash" - learning and exploring by the stream
The great outdoors is a fantastic learning resource for young children, which can help them learn across many areas of their development. Water is a great tool to help with development and discoveries in many aspects of learning, including cognitive development.
Nursery rhymes and cognitive development
Nursery rhymes are one of the most useful and versatile learning tools in the first few years of a child's life. They have often been passed down through generations and are one of the few activities that don’t require any equipment.
