Today Date Triggered Content

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.  

Talking about your experiences and memories is not only good for your child’s cognitive development – but has also been shown to be good for their mental health and emotional wellbeing into their teenaged years. Here’s how to use shared memories, like seeing fireworks, to help them develop these skills. 

A long-running study^[1] of 115 mothers and their toddlers, which began 14 years ago, found that children who talked about experiences in more detail had greater social and emotional skills than those who didn't.  

If you’re wondering how to keep your little one entertained during these longer evenings, we’ve got some ideas for you.  

As always, we’ve separated our ideas into baby, toddler and child – have a look and pick the things you know your child will love. Each of these ideas could be adapted according to your child’s skills – even tummy time, which can be a great way of developing core strength for toddlers and children as well as babies.  

The first United Nations International Play day takes place on 11th June, with this day celebrating the power of play. We know that life with an under-five can be tiring, so we're sharing some ideas for when you're exhausted. 

As we enter a season with lots of celebrations, you might be starting to feel the pressure to join in with the traditions you see around you. Your social media feeds might be filled with photos of visits to a pumpkin patch or families in fancy dress and you wonder if your child is missing out if they don’t have these experiences.  

The Disney Pixar film ‘Inside out’ gave us the idea of core memories, that some memories are particularly important and that we have a set number of these core memories.  

Dark nights, crisp leaves and changing weather. Whether you prefer staying cosy inside or getting out and enjoying another season we have Autumn play ideas for you.  

Your first thought when it gets colder (and wetter) might be to stay inside, but with the right clothing, getting out and experiencing rain, wind and cold first-hand is a great way to learn about the changing seasons.  

Have you ever watched one of those videos on social media of a toddler making their own breakfast and been both horrified by the idea of the mess it would make in your house... and slightly wish your little one could start making their own meals as soon as possible? We know it’s hard to start cooking with your child, so we’ve pulled together our top tips for getting your child involved in the kitchen – and shared an easy-to-follow visual recipe perfect for them! 

Children learn lots when helping to prepare food- and everyone needs food so there are times every day to practise, making cooking a wonderful learning opportunity. 

All our activities use things you’re likely to have at home or just outside your front door, and we shared our summer play kit last month which answered the question, “What do you think I have at home?” This month we thought we’d share some suggestions for a play kit that makes the most of the changing season, with our suggestions for an Autumn play kit.  

If you have any suggestions you’d add to the list, let us know on our Facebook community.