Supporting Learning
at home
Here are some activities and ideas that you could use to support learning at home across all areas of learning.
The document 'What to expect, when?' is also a useful guide about children's learning and development for parents. Nursery children generally work within 30-50 months and Reception within 40-60 months. The document as well as the ideas to support each learning area can be found below.
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Share stories – retell and act them out
Make bread together
Chop the vegetables for dinner together
Give your children responsibility to help with household chores – spray the window cleaner and clean the windows is a favourite!
Sharing a family meal and talk about your day
Play games that encourage children to take turns and share. Helping them to be a good sport even if they don't win is also encouraged!
- Communication and Language
Storytelling with homemade puppets – use old socks, lolly stick and straws
Sing nursery rhymes and action songs
Play guessing games – such as think of an animal and model giving clues to help your child guess the animal
Play board games
Play games such as I Spy
- Physical development
Thread pasta on to wool or string
Water play in the bath – scooping, pouring and measuring
Design a treasure hunt around the house
Junk modelling
Musical movement games – like musical statues
Lego and block play
Make sensory tray with shaving foam, soap, jelly etc
Painting with water outside
Building dens and tunnels with blankets
- Literacy
Share story books and talk about what is happening on each page
Play lotto games – matching pictures
Sing Jolly Phonics songs
Hide an object in a ‘mystery bag’ and give clues to what might be inside
Tap out syllables to break up your name on musical instruments
- Maths
Pairing socks
Playing Snakes and Ladders
Bigger and Smaller games – describing the 3 Billy Goats Gruff or using Goldilocks
Add numbers to pegs and the help your child to order them
Measuring ingredients to cook/ help make dinner
Sing number songs, such as 5 currant buns
Sorting toys by colour or shape
Sorting coins
Build towers from blocks – how many blocks did you use? Can you use the same blocks to build a different tower?
- Understanding the world
Blowing bubbles
Make bread or pizzas for the family to share
Read information books
Hunt for bugs outside
Planting seeds such as cress – and watching them grow
Observe the weather each day and make a weather chart
Make a family tree – who is in your family
Freeze small toys in ice – and work out how to get them out of the ice
Look for different sorts of ICT in your home eg, microwave, remote control, phone etc
- Expressive Arts and Design
Dancing to music – use scarves
Sing familiar songs and make up your own words to nursery rhyme tunes
Make shakers with pasta or rice in pots
Make your own paint with shaving foam or coloured ice
Make props for your favourite story and act it out together