The Den/ The Nest:

We have have a busy, fun-filled week across both rooms as the children explore a range of sensory activities.

The Nest:

The children in The Nest participated in sensory rice activity, with a focus on fine motor development with the addition of wooden scoops. The children had lots of fun scooping the rice and picking up handfuls to explore. They also really enjoyed the sound as it was poured from a height. The addition of the wooden scoops was a great way to help develop key fine motor skills as they grip tight to secure it in their hands.

The Den:

We have done lots of singing this week in The Den, with the addition of some new props… The children loved joining in with words/ actions to ‘3 monkeys swinging in the trees’. The children were able to identify the monkey and crocodile when shown.

When asked “what does a crocodile do?” they all spoke “snap snap”. We also talked about monkey’s and their sounds. Most of the children copied the action to monkey and gave their sound a good go!

The sand tray has been another hit with the children as we continue our exploration of metal resources. We added some water to alter the texture of the sand which enabled us to create ‘sand castles’. The children worked together to add sand to the chosen bowl and once full, gave the bowl a pat to release the sand. They were amazed by the shape left behind and had lots of fun destroying their creation.

Playing and exploring:

The children were interested in our crates today and decided to sit in them. This prompted staff to sing a range of songs like ‘row your boat’ and ‘wheels on the bus’ to the children- aiding in those key imaginative learning opportunities. The children sat for some time, fully engaged as we sang these songs and moved the boxes around with them inside. We were so pleased to see the children turn-taking with each other and letting everyone have a go!

Parents as partners:

Why is singing so important for children?

Singing to babies prepares them for communicating later in life as it helps them get used to the structure and inflections of their native language. For toddlers and children, singing strengthens their lips and tongues which encourages clear speaking, and also expands their vocabulary and teaches them about creative language and rhyme.

Action songs are a brilliant way to develop your child’s co-ordination, gross and fine motor skills, as well as their ability to concentrate and focus. Something that might seem simple to you, such as doing the actions to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, can be a real challenge for little ones to master.