Here at Leigh’s Nurseries we can support with ideas for learning through play at home to help each individual child. Our nursery creates a home from home environment which allows the children to freely explore and learn through their play. Building blocks and lego can be a great learning tool because they encourage creativity and problem-solving skills by building structures or even re-creating famous landmarks. To further extend this, your child could add numbers onto the block and counting the blocks can help support their mathematical development.
Another way to learn through play at home is with arts and crafts, setting up a crafting station with various materials like paper, paints and loose parts. Children can express themselves while developing fine motor skills. Cooking and baking can be another good way to involve children in the kitchen by teaching them about measurements, following instructions and the science behind cooking.
Children can learn a lot through outdoor play, for example: taking nature walks, going on bug hunts, or exploring the garden, which is all an opportunity to learn about the environment, plants, and animals. Gardening and planting can also teach children about plant life cycles, gardening techniques, and responsibility for taking care of living things.
You can expand on your child’s knowledge by focusing on their interests and engaging in pretend play and encouraging imaginative play such as dress-up costumes, puppets, home role play or dolls. This helps develop storytelling and social skills and focuses on children understanding the world around them.
Remember to tailor activities to your child’s interests and developmental stage, and most importantly have fun!
Lots of love,
Leigh and the team xxx
