IDEAS BANK

Why not go for a walk in your local area? Look for different trees and wildlife. Look under stones… what can you find? It’s great way to explore your area as a family

Take a walk around your neighbourhood, local park or just have a look in your garden, what birds can you spot? Here is a checklist of birds you can find in Wales

Let’s have fun outside, in the puddles or at bath time

If you have some bath ducks / floating animals or straws, set up a race and see who wins!

Set out equipment for children to jump over in a variety of ways (i.e. ropes, imaginary puddles, cushions, toys)

• Encourage children to jump and land with both feet and do a variety of shapes in the air
• Create a jumping path around the house or garden for them to jump around like monkeys / frogs / kangaroos

Pebble plop is a great game to try throwing various objects at or into various sized targets a set distance away

• Use different objects in the house as a target such as a bin, shoe box, a mat, hoop etc.
• Set objects at different distances, in a row, or randomly across a room
• Use different object to throw such as a ball, sock, rolled up new paper, bean bag etc.
• Games can be played indoors or outdoors

Crazy Capers is fun activity game that can be played indoors and outdoors:

• Place a range of objects e.g. teddies and dolls, bean bags and quoits, vegetables and fruit etc. on the floor
• Your child then picks up one object at a time, carrying it and placing it in a designated area/hoop on the other side of the room/garden
• Return to the start to go again/for next child to go
• Your child can run, hop, skip, jump, crawl, etc. and move in different ways to get the objects
• Help children to create a points system based on time to complete, accuracy of sorting, etc.
• You can also get your child to place the objects in a pram/trolley or cart, then push the pram to a designated area, unload the objects and then return the pram and return to the start

Playful Childhoods have a Playing at Home Guide, with fun play ideas to allow children learn and grow and have a happy and healthy childhood. Click below for a look

Here’s our guide to making bubbles and a bubble wand at home to have fun outside with the family

Puddles are a great way for children to have fun

Simply put on some wellies and a coat, take your little ones out to play in the rain, and find some puddles

Endless fun!

Click below for a great way to explore your village/area and go on a Square Mile Treasure Hunt

Can you find what’s in your local area? Tick them off as you go along, a great family outing. Enjoy 🙂

For Messy Play with Jelly:

• Buy or make some jelly
• Spread the jelly on a tray
• Hide some objects you have at home in the jelly
• You can use anything you can find at home e.g. spoon, toys etc.
• Let your little ones enjoy the texture and help develop their fine motor skills by finding the objects in the jelly

Author: Giles Andreae Adapted by Huw Ceiriog and Diana Jones

Giraffes Can’t Dance is a great story time book to read to toddlers that you can bring alive

How to paint Gerald the Giraffe

Watch the video below to see a great way to use your hand and paint to create Gerald the Giraffe

How about making story time a bit more exciting by using some toys, food or materials you have around the house that links in with what you’re reading

If age appropriate your child can name the objects or copy you as you name them

A great way to bring stories alive and read with your child

Here is a great snowman craft with some card, paint and pens

Give it a go and enjoy!

During the autumn it’s great to get outside and to look for acorns, you can usually find lots of them!

Collect acorns and use them to help your child learn to count

Take a look at, NHS Wales, Start 4 Life and NHS England for some great weaning tips and Recipes / Meal ideas:

• Getting Ready – https://111.wales.nhs.uk/livewell/pregnancy/Weaningsolidfoods/
• What to feed your baby- https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/what-to-feed-your-baby/around-6-months/
• Safe Weaning – https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/safe-weaning/ 
• Recipes and Meal ideas – https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/recipes-and-meal-ideas/

Here are some other links:

• BBC Good Food – Weaning recipes – BBC Good Food
• Lidl – Weaning (lidl.co.uk)
• Annabel Karmel – Guide to Weaning | Weaning Tips | Baby Led Weaning
• First Steps Nutrition

Why not bake some tasty biscuits over the weekend to celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen, using this resource (in Welsh) created by Carmarthenshire Welsh Development Team, click here to follow the instructions

Using some fridge favourites, from a mix of different vegetables including swede, peas, and carrots, blend to make a baby veggie puree

A simple weaning recipe to try fruit with your baby for the first time

Do you find that you have lots of leftovers in the fridge? This is a great recipe for fridge leftovers to make for toddlers

Everyone loves pancakes… here is an easy recipe to do at home

Using colourful lines, whether you draw them on paper or use chalk outside, draw as many lines at one, and then get an object and follow the lines with the object and see what patterns have been created. Your child can learn their colours at the same time.

A great Mother’s Day arts and crafts idea.

Create flowers using paint, a fork and paper/card to make your own Mother’s Day cards. This idea could also be used for birthday cards as well.

Can you create a Cwtsh heb Dwtsh picture or card to send to a friend? Using this resource (in Welsh) created by Carmarthenshire Welsh Development Team, click here to follow the instructions

Click Here for a great activity with pipe cleaners and craft your own animals