Babies and toddlers can get involved in a wide range of loose parts play learning. One of the beauties of loose parts play is that children can access it more or less from birth. Who is Loose Parts Play For? When looking at loose parts play ideas on the internet and social media, there is …
Counting backwards is a really important skill. It starts off simply with counting songs and rote counting, but much later on develops into subtraction and other types of calculating. But how do you teach backward counting? Start to teach counting backwards with simple songs that practice the skill in a simple way. Use a variety …
Your pre-schooler hates writing? Honestly, this is completely natural, and most researchers would even say normal. At this age many children are not ready physically to attempt mark-making, and starting them too quickly can sometimes do more harm than good. Having said this, there are some things you can do to speed along the process …
I reckon I must have tried out at least a hundred memory games with the children I have taught over the last ten years. At least one hundred, but maybe more! However, out of all those games, the following 22 really stood out. These are the ones children will ask for time and again, and …
I have been using parachute games with children aged 3-5 over the last ten years. I have tried literally hundreds of games – some have not been so great. But amongst the hundreds have been some hidden gems! I am listing the forty best ones here! I have done the hard yards for you, and …
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 …
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 …
There are many skills that are central to science that are fostered by children engaging in loose parts play. Some key ones include: Investigating Exploring Creating and testing hypotheses Constructing and deconstructing ideas Engaging with the world around them. There are all sorts of experiments that children can try out using loose parts. Many of …
The concept of symmetry is something that young children can begin to explore through practical activities, even before they can really put into words what it is. It is definitely better to start with experimentation with objects, rather than give them symmetry worksheets, printables or folding pictures. What are the best symmetry activities for kids? …