Today Date Triggered Content

Festive lights are beginning to appear and now it’s dark early, a late afternoon walk could be the perfect activity for babies, toddlers or children.  

For all children something as simple as a walk after dark gives them lots of new experiences, which can feel magical and give you the chance to use lots of new words – which helps your child’s vocabulary to grow.

First smiles, first babbles, first words... they’re all exciting milestones because you get to see your baby or child communicate. You know that those early smiles, coos and babbles are times of connection and so won’t be surprised that learning to talk is about much more than first words.  

We’ve put a round up of all our articles about talk and communication at the bottom of your Today screen. We’ll leave them there for a while, so you have lots of time to read them. And we thought for this weekend’s play ideas, we’d focus on supporting your little one’s communication.  

Love them or loathe them you probably can’t avoid fireworks at this time of year. So we thought we’d give you a few firework-inspired play ideas this week to make the most of firework season.  

The first thing to think about is how a new experience, like seeing fireworks, can inspire conversation. If you missed yesterday’s article about using bonfire night to encourage talk, you’ll find the link at the bottom of this article.  

Doing chores has been linked with social^[1] and thinking skills^[2] as well as children’s happiness^[3]. Read on to get some simple ideas to help your child learn by getting them involved in helping with everyday tasks.  

You might leave tidying, cooking and other household chores until your little one is having a nap. Often having a tiny helper can make it feel like everything is taking longer, but children love to help.  

Picking your way through the various advice and opinions on your child’s development can be overwhelming. Throw into the mix a load of words that have never been part of your vocabulary and this parenting journey can feel like another world. 

But don’t worry – we’re here to de-code, decipher and demystify wherever we can, to give you the information you need to make the decision that’s right for you, your child and your family.

In the discover more section, on your Today screen, you’ll see articles that are tailored to your child’s skills. If you’re looking for a quick read about their development that’s a good place to start.  

If someone mentions creativity most of us immediately think about art and craft, but creativity is about much more than paint and glue. And we think lots of the activities that people call creative really aren’t at all, they’re much more about following instructions and conforming. If you’re ready to help your child get their creative juices flowing, we’ve got some ideas for you – and there isn’t any crafting involved! 

The Cambridge dictionary defines creativity as, “The ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas.”^[1] 

Your child’s senses are stimulated by everyday life, whether that’s feeling rain on their cheek, recognising the smell of their favourite meal, or simply watching light shining through a curtain. The activities at sensory groups often focus on a specific sense or two and give you time playing together, so our ideas will help you do this at home when classes are closed for summer!   

See if any of your friends from your group want to join you for some summer play – you could take it in turns to suggest an idea, and make sure you include time to catch up too!  

Summer festivals are in full swing! This might mean your family is getting ready to attend one (or more) together... or it might mean you’re watching on with a mixture of awe and horror at the idea of camping at a noisy festival with the whole family!  

The good news is that your child can benefit from the joy of a festival wherever you are. We’ve gathered some ideas for making the most of music and movement to plan your very own festival, and research shows it’s good for everyone to join in. 

We love how great it feels when your child masters a skill, especially when you know you have helped them get there. You know we’re passionate about child development, and one of the many amazing things about young children and their learning is how much everything connects together!  

You’ll see that lots of our activity ideas use the things you have around you and everyday situations. It’s great if you’re trying not to spend a fortune on toys, but also from the point of view of supporting your child’s development – and like everything MFFY we have the research to back up what we say!  

Whether it’s a day to pack the suncream and sunhats, or puddle suits and wellies... we’ve got ideas for you. This week we’ve asked our community manager, Becki (a qualified Forest Schools leader) for her favourite activity ideas for everyone who wants to get out and about this weekend.