Children need the opportunities that exploring outside provides. Nature gives a wealth of information into every one of their senses, which in turn helps them to develop their motor skills, their cognitive skills, their social and communication skills and especially their attention skills. Gardening is a wonderful way to explore their world.
Read MorePlaying outside offers a great opportunity to explore making marks with lots of different materials. Early mark making is wonderful for supporting the development of fine motor control and is an important step towards learning to read and write.
Read MoreWhen introducing a new routine, visual support is particularly important as children have a lot to get their heads around! For children starting preschool or primary school we recommend using a weekly visual calendar.
Read MoreReading stories about school is a fun, non-threatening way to help children to begin to think about what school might be like. Talking about relatable characters, rather than themselves, may help them to gain some understanding before talking about their own feelings. There are so many lovely children’s books on this topic, here are a few of our favourites to share whilst preparing for transition into education.
Read MoreTo some degree we all use natural gesture to support our spoken communication. Signing builds on this by providing a tool which supports communication and interaction.
Read MoreTurn taking is a valuable skill which supports the development of early social interaction and communication skills. Developing an understanding of reciprocation through the exchange of two way communication is a vital foundation for shared attention and conversation skills later on.
Read MorePegs are ideal for getting little hands working to develop fine motor skills. At first glance a pack of wooden pegs may not seem like to most exciting or eye-catching resource... think again. With a little imagination, a simple pack of wooden, pound shop pegs can become a tool for so many play tasks.
Read MorePlaydough is something many of us have in a cupboard at home or in the classroom. Loved by kids and loathed by any parent that has been faced with a ‘playdough embedded in carpet’ incident (I have met several house-proud parents that have banned playdough from the house entirely!) it is easily accessible, cheap to make or purchase and can be used creatively in such a huge variety of ways.
Read MoreFor many parents viewing schools for their child can be a little daunting. The sudden realisation that their precious little person will not be so little anymore. The loss of control that comes when you can no longer decide where and how your child will spend their time, term time holidays and trips to theme parks to avoid the weekend crush are no longer an option.
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