In ten years of teaching maths to children aged between 3 to 5 (as well as having three kids at home myself), I have found one of the most important foundation skills is rote counting. But what exactly is it? Rote counting is saying numbers in order. The numbers are not linked to counting objects …
In ten years of working with children aged 3-5, I have found that one of the most important skills in early phonics is definitely segmenting. It is a crucial skill in early writing, and it is involved in reading too. But what exactly is it? Segmenting in phonics is the ability to separate a word …
Ten frames are really popular now in early education, and with good reason. They provide a really simple framework for children to develop lots of different maths skills, including counting, adding, number bonds, patterns, creating arrays, subetising, and many more! Ten frames are really good for children to start visualising maths in lots of different …
Learning to put spaces in between words takes a huge amount of time for most children. It is a really abstract concept for them, and they are getting to grips with lots of other parts of early writing at the same time. When they begin writing, children will be learning the formation of the letters …
All children are passionately excited by bubbles! They create that kind of awe and wonder that is a beautiful thing to witness. They spark curiosity, generate talk, and get children moving, communicating and thinking. Of course blowing bubbles out of pots is one thing; bubble wands are great too! However, there are also a huge …
I genuinely think that if you were restricted to just one resource to teach children with, probably the number one choice would be playdough. It is just so tactile, and flexible, and children quite simply love it. You can teach maths, literacy, vocabulary, fine motor, and so many more skills through playdough. Pretty much the …
Parachute games develop many different skills in pre-schoolers. They are one of the best group activities you can try, great for team-building, cooperation, and all sorts of physical skills. If you combine these parachute games with music and songs, then you have a perfect formula – a great way of stimulating listening, attention and interest …
Getting maths into the outdoors is one of the biggest concerns many practitioners have. It is probably the thing I am asked about the most where maths is concerned. This post is by far the most comprehensive quantity of high-quality outdoor math activities for children aged 3 to 6 that you will be able to …
If you are interested in loose parts play, you may well have wondered how to best support it outside. How easily can it be achieved? What resources or skills do you need to get it going? What does loose parts play outside look like? What storage or budget may you need? Is it all worth …
The term ‘heuristic play’ is often used in childcare circles, but rarely as part of normal speech by people or parents outside the industry. However, it is a type of play that probably all parents have witnessed. To simplify the term, it is playing with everyday objects, and moving around with them in different ways. …