Play and Learn Every Day

Fine Motor Skills with Aquabeads

08:30

It is so important to find fun ways to develop young childrens fine motor skills in order to help them to learn to write and control small tools as they get older. We do lots of drawing, mark making and playing with play dough each day, but it's also fun to do something a little bit different, and that's why we're loving playing with Aquabeads.

We were asked to take part in an Aquabeads Party and we were sent a bit pack full of loads of Aquabeads materials to try out. The kids were so excited to get into those boxes and get started. So my first bit of advice would be to set things up when the kids aren't around if possible, I let mine play outside while I opened up all of the little packages of beads so that they wouldn't end up pouring them everywhere!

Then when the kids did come inside they were excited to see that everything was ready for them to get started making their creations.

Ivy had a small set of Aquabeads to try out, even though she's only 2 1/2 and not really old enough to use them, I kept a close eye on her and she happily picked up the beads and placed them onto the tray. She didn't follow the pattern of the picture underneath, but she placed her beads carefully onto the tray to make a very colourful teddy bear face.

Ethan used a larger Aquabeads set and followed the pattern to make a lovely rocking horse first, then a heart shape at the side of the tray. After that he decided that he wanted to make a design of his own, and created a little submarine on the other side of the tray. He did most of this by hand, picking up one bead at a time and placing it in its spot, but did also try using the tool to pick up the beads. Both ways are great for fine motor skill development and coordination.

Once his designs were finished he used the spray bottle to spray them fully with water which fuses the beads together.

He then lifted up the tray slightly and tiled it to let the excess water drain off, before leaving it to dry for one hour.

The great part is that the kids have made these little designs that they're really proud of, the kits pack up really easily and now that they have the hang of it they'll be able to go back and make more designs whenever they like. And we've got another fun fine motor activity to do at home!
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* This is a review post, we were sent a variety of Aquabeads to play with and write our honest opinions about.*

2 1/2 years old

SmarTrike Discoveries

08:30

4 1/2 years old

After School Routine

08:30

We have been very busy getting Ethan ready to start school in September and planning out how our routine and our schedule will change. Most of the emphasis is on our morning routine and getting out of the door on time, but I'm also thinking about what's going to happen after school.

I think it's really important to have a nice after school routine, a way to wind down after the busyness of the day, to reflect and share any stories about what's happened and to get out some of that energy from sitting still for part of the day. The first priority when I pick Ethan up from school is going to have to be to make sure that he's had enough to eat and enough water to drink during the day. I know that he can be a bit of a fussy eater, so I'm sure that there will be days when he doesn't eat much lunch, so I'll be ready with this Monsterosity water bottle full of fresh water and these Monsterosity snack boxes both from Paperchase, with lots of healthy snacks inside them. If it's a nice day we can head over to the park to run around and maybe have a picnic with our snacks before heading home.

We're really lucky to live quite close to Ethan's school so we will be able to walk (or scoot) to and from school, and this will be a great opportunity to talk about what he's done that day. But just in case he doesn't feel like opening up on his own, I'll be asking open ended questions about the fun that he had and the friends that he's made at school. Another great way to get kids to talk about things is through art, and we're loving this Wolf Gang ideas notepad from Paperchase that Ethan can draw his big ideas in. I asked him to start off his new notepad by drawing what he wants to be when he grows up, so this is a picture of him as a deep sea diver when he grows up. I'm hoping that he'll want to draw me pictures of the fun things that he's doing at school each day.

When we get home after school Ethan can change into comfy clothes and have some run around time in the garden and then some quiet time reading books curled up in our cosy reading area. Then we'll have a big dinner and watch one of his favourite shows (probably Paw Patrol) before having a bath, bedtime stories and going to bed nice and early ready to start it all again the next day.

What's your after school routine look like? Is there anything else that we should be doing each day?

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* This is a review post, we were sent the water bottle, snack boxes and notepad from Paperchase in order to use them and write our honest opinions.*

4 1/2 years old

Playing School

08:30

We are having fun getting Ethan ready to start school in a few weeks, he absolutely loved when we did some imaginative play of school lunchtimes so I was not surprised at how much he loved playing school and being the teacher!

We got this fantastic Pretend and Play School Set from Learning Resources that we have been playing school with. It's a great set for imaginative play and so easy to use. It folds up flat so it is easy to store and to carry around the house. It's full of so many fun things to play with to make up all of the parts of a school day.

There's a white board in the middle section with the alphabet across the top. This is great for writing skills and general mark making. It was the first part that both of the kids were drawn to as they both love to draw and write. We talked about the type of things that the teacher would write on the board for the children to learn from.

The section on the right is a calendar that you can fill in with whichever month it is. This one is especially great for preparing Ethan for school because we can fill it in with dates and events from his actual school to prepare him.

The left section has maps that are great for using that pointer again! The kids both love having their turn to be teacher so that they can get their hands on that pointer and point at all of the different countries and quiz their students.

There are even little worksheets that the children can do as well as mark when it's their turn to be the teacher. They are nice and easy for the kids to do so that they gain confidence as it's more about learning the sorts of things that they will be doing at school.

There's even little certificates that they can give to each other when they've done a good job at the end of the school day. There's also a cute little bell that they can ring at the different times of the school day. I encouraged them to play through these parts of the day as well, pretending to have play time, lunch time, story time and circle time. When they play story time I step in to be the teacher sometimes and take the opportunity to read them stories about starting school. Ethan absolutely loves being the teacher and I think that it's given him a real understanding of what to expect at school. And I'm sure that we'll continue to play once he has started school and it will give me some extra insight into the things that he does each day.

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* This is a review post, we were given the Pretend and Play School Set from Learning Resources in order to play with and write our honest opinions.*

autumn

Top Ten Leaf Printing Activities

12:00

2 1/2 years old

Apple Play Dough Surprise Activity

12:00

2 1/2 years old

Back to School To Do List

10:37

4 1/2 years old

Preparing for a Home Visit from the Teacher

14:00

It is almost time for Ethan to start school but before his first day at school his teacher is going to come to our house for a visit. I think this is a fantastic idea as it will really give him a strong connection with her and I'm sure that it will give her a good idea of what he's really like in an atmosphere that he's comfortable in. But I'm still incredibly nervous!

As a teacher I never actually worked at a school that did home visits, so I'm just as nervous as anyone! So I asked around and found some great advise from teachers who do home visits:

"I have done home visits and my one piece of advise is be yourself don't worry if there is toys everywhere . They are not there to criticise but to get to know you" Jessica from Beauties and the Bibs

"I think any parent is going to feel nervous and with that it is so easy to forget things, so I used to tell my parents to have a think about (and write down) what their child's favourite things were (fave song, book, comforter, toy, outdoor games, character etc) This meant that the teacher has a mutual common 'interest' with the child and it's a good starting point for settling in. I didn't focus on the academic side at all as I always think that the PSED side had a lot more importance. I always used to say to parents to write down any questions they had or any concerns and we could discuss them at the visit." Tori from Finding Tori

"I teach reception and have done hundreds of visits. I always remind parents it's informal. I'm not there to judge their home. I like it if there are toys out. It's a great way to engage with the children, especially those who are a little shy about having their teacher in their home! I love it when parents ask questions so ask away." Amy from This Little Life

"Do not worry - you never know the teacher may be as nervous as you! The teacher will not be judging you on how clean your house is, how your child behaves or what you are wearing. They are there to find out about your child and how best to settle them into school. I found sessions easier when the children had their favourite toy or book to show me. It instantly put the child at ease as they could focus on something. Do not be afraid to ask questions - no matter how silly they may seem." Emma from Adventures of Adam

"I've done lots of home visits (nursery) the main objective is to get to know the family and child in their own environment, learn about your child's likes/dislikes, comforts and any health or medical issues etc, It's pretty straightforward and usually a great ice breaker for the child to become familiar with their keyworker/teacher. It's also a good opportunity for the parents to ask any questions and to get to know the staff." Shahnaz from Mummy Be Beautiful

All of the advice from these brilliant teachers really does seem to emphasise that we shouldn't be nervous and the best plan is that have lots of Ethan's favourite toys out so that he's comfortable and shows what he enjoys doing at home.

I've also found this really sweet transition booklet to give a child's new teacher on Twinkl. I think it's a really nice idea of something that you can sit down to do together before the teacher comes over so that you can talk about all the conversation topics that they could have with the teacher and it's also something nice for the teacher to take away with a little extra insight into your child's interests.

It is all happening so quickly and now it feels like school really is starting soon, but building a good relationship with Ethan's teacher couldn't be more important and we can't wait to have her over for a chat. We actually did run into her one day in the playground as well, and she happened to mention that she likes cakes, so I think we'll be doing a bit of baking the day before too!

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