Nursery Activity
Idea: Creating A Small Garden Play Box
This can be a good way
for older children to learn about plants in the garden while using it for
imaginative play with small plastic bugs. This activity can be completed
indoors or outside and can easily be transferred from one to another.
You
will need:
- Plastic box, such as a storage box or a large plant pot
- Earth
- Small plants
- Plastic bugs
- Yoghurt pot
Activity:
If using a plastic box,
make drainage holes in the bottom before you start the activity. Next the
children can fill the box with earth. Place the yoghurt pot in the earth so the
top of the pot is level with the top of the earth, then plant a range of small
flowers or grasses in the box. Fill the yoghurt pot with water to make a small
pond. While doing this activity you can discuss with the children how plants
grow and what they need to grow, the children can also continue this learning
by caring for the garden themselves. Once the garden has been completed the
children can play in it with small plastic bugs.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World
- Language, Literacy and Communication skills
- Personal and Social development
- Creative development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Making A Rice Shaker
This is a very simple
activity for children over the age of two for them to create their own musical
instrument.
You
will need:
- Paper plate
- Dry rice
- Sticky tape
- Colouring pens or paints
Activity:
Give each child a paper
plate and a selection of colouring pens and paints in a variety of colours to
decorate the underneath of their plates. Once they have finished their plates,
fold the plates in half with the colouring on the outside.Tape half of the
plate closed then, fill the inside of the plate with some rice before taping
the rest of the plate closed. Ensure the plate is taped to the edges with no
gaps for the rice to escape. Now the children can shake their plates and have
fun experiment with the sound it makes.
You could get the
children to make a couple of shakers, each time changing the amount of rice in
the middle of the plate so they can investigate any changes in sound this
makes.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Creative development
- Physical development
- Personal and Social development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Making A Fish Birthday Chart
These fish are a bright
and colourful way to display children’s birthdays, and can be used as part of
an under the sea theme.
You
will need:
- A3 paper
- Bright coloured paint
- Plain or coloured paper
- Names of the months printed onto plain paper
Activity:
On the A3 paper draw a
large fish, copying this twelve times, one fish for each month of the year.
Alternatively draw different fish for each month to add variation. Next provide
the children with bright colours of paint and allow them to paint the fish in
their own patterns and choices of colour. Once the fish have dried cut them out
and stick them to the wall, labelling each one with a name of the month.
Then using the plain or
coloured paper draw and cut out enough circles for every child in the room.
Write the child’s name and date of birth onto the circle and stick it to the
corresponding fish. Older children could write their name and date of birth
themselves, while younger children can be encouraged to trace over their name
to practice their writing skills.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Creative development
- Physical development
- Language, Literacy and Communication skills
Nursery Activity
Idea: Make Your Own Under Water Scene
This activity is simple
to do and can help make water play that bit more interesting and educational
for all children.
You
will need:
- Blue paper
- Photos or photocopied colouring pages of fish
- Photos or Photocopied colouring pages of coral reef
- Sticky tape
- Glue
- Paint in a range of colour
- Clear water tray
Activity:
Firstly measure and cut
to size enough blue paper to cover the outside of your water tray. If you do
not have any blue paper you could always paint some plain paper with the
children. Next cut out the photos of the fish and coral reef and glue these to
your blue paper. Alternatively provide the children with colouring pages for
them to paint their own fish, cut them out and glue these to the blue paper. If
completing this activity with older children they may be able to cut out and
glue the pictures on themselves. Once all your pictures have been glued to the
blue paper, tape the blue paper to the outside of the water tray with the
pictures against the tray. Now you are ready to fill your water tray with water
and plastic fish or boats for the children to play with and enjoy.
Younger children will
enjoy looking at the bright colours they can see through the water. While with
older children you could use this activity as an opportunity to teach them
about fish and other sea animals as well as the coral reef, and it can easily
be linked into an underwater theme.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World
- Personal and Social development
- Mathematical development
- Physical development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Making Animals In The Snow
This is a fun
alternative to building a snowman which children over the age of two can have
hours of fun enjoying.
You
will need:
- Snow
Activity:
Take the children
outside in the snow and encourage them to make a range of animals out of the
snow, maybe give them a few suggestions. Make an animal of your own as a
demonstration, or work as part of a group to create an animal. This will
encourage children to work together and develop their problem solving skills as
well as allowing them to use their imagination and creative skills.
Why not create a zoo in
the snow, build a few animals such as a giraffe, elephant and crocodile for
example, then build small walls around them and paths to form a zoo.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World
- Creative development
- Language, Literacy and Communication skills
- Personal and Social development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Snow Play With Small World Figures
A fun activity for
children over the age of two, adding a different element of fun to small world
toys.
You
will need:
- Snow or fake snow
- Small world toys
- Large plastic mat
Activity:
If you are luck enough
to have some real snow then take the children outside to collect a few buckets
full and place it on the mat on the floor. If you are not so lucky you could
use fake snow, this also has the benefit of lasting longer. Give the children a
choice of figures such as small dolls, lego men or happy land toys for example,
to play with in the snow. The children could also use a range of play sets in
the snow, making it more enjoyable than playing with them on the carpet. You
could also use this as an opportunity to discuss the seasons and weather with
the children.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Language, Literacy and Communication skills
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World
- Personal and Social development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Creating Sensory Smell Bags
This activity is an
exciting way for children over the age of three to investigate different smells
and explore objects using their senses.
You
will need:
- Organza bags
- Potpourri
- Dried herbs
- Spices
Activity:
Fill the organza bags
with an assortment of scented Potpourri, different dried herbs and spices, as
well as full dried herb leaves and spices such as cinnamon sticks. You may wish
to make small labels with the names of the herbs and spices on, make a hole in
one end and thread the labels onto the string of the organza bag before tying
the bags closed.
The children can select
the bags to smell and talk about, what the objects smell like, if the children
like or dislike the smell for example. If you are completing this activity with
older children you could also talk about where these herbs and spices come
from. If you have your own herb garden you could also pick the herbs with the
children to dry before putting into the bags, so the children can see
first-hand where the herbs come from.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World
- Language Literacy and Communication
- Personal and Social development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Creating Sensory Smell Bags
This activity is an
exciting way for children over the age of three to investigate different smells
and explore objects using their senses.
You
will need:
- Organza bags
- Potpourri
- Dried herbs
- Spices
Activity:
Fill the organza bags
with an assortment of scented Potpourri, different dried herbs and spices, as
well as full dried herb leaves and spices such as cinnamon sticks. You may wish
to make small labels with the names of the herbs and spices on, make a hole in
one end and thread the labels onto the string of the organza bag before tying
the bags closed.
The children can select
the bags to smell and talk about, what the objects smell like, if the children
like or dislike the smell for example. If you are completing this activity with
older children you could also talk about where these herbs and spices come
from. If you have your own herb garden you could also pick the herbs with the
children to dry before putting into the bags, so the children can see
first-hand where the herbs come from.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World
- Language Literacy and Communication
- Personal and Social development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Creating A Colour Table
This can be a fun way
for children over the age of three to explore and learn the colours through a
group display. The display can be change weekly for example to show a different
colour.
You
will need:
- Material in your chosen colour
- Name of the colours printed onto paper
- Colour flash cards
Activity:
During circle time with
the children use the flash cards to help the children learn their colours. Tell
the children the colour for the display table this week, for example red. Move
a table against a wall and place the red material over the table top. Next
stick the red flash card and the word red, printed in red ink on the wall above
the table.
The children can now
look around the room to find red objects to place onto the table to create
their own red display. At the beginning of each week this activity can be done
again each time displaying a different colour.
You might also want to
incorporate healthy eating into this display as a separate activity, and
display red fruits or vegetables on the red table for example.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Mathematical development
- Language, Literacy and Communication skills
Nursery Activity
Idea: Circus Dressing Up Role Play
This imaginative play
activity is suitable for children over the age of two, where they can create their
own circus.
You
will need:
- Various size dressing up clothes in bright colours
- Different colours and styles of wigs
- Glasses
- Bright hats in various sizes
- Shoes in different sizes
- Pictures of the circus
- Mirror
Activity:
In the role play corner
place lots of different pictures of the circus and their costumes. Provide the
children with a range of bright coloured clothes, hats and wigs for example, to
try on, and look at themselves in the mirror. The older children can use these
costumes to create their own circus show during imaginative role play. If
completing this activity with older children, you could also use face paints to
add to their play.
This can be a good
activity to encourage younger children to make decisions, and to practice their
fine motor skills when getting dressed by doing up buttons, zips and laces for
example.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Physical development
- Language, Literacy and Communication skills
- Personal and Social development
Nursery Activity
Idea: Messy Hand And Feet Painting
This is a very simple
but messy activity for children of all ages, which can be completed
individually or as part of a small group.
You
will need:
- Large pieces of plain paper
- Sticky tape
- Paint in a variety of colours
Activity:
Tape the large pieces of
paper to the floor. Pour the paint into large shallow trays and place them
around the outside of the paper. Let the children use their hands and/or feet
dipped in the paint, to create their pictures. If you put enough paper on the
floor a small group of children can do this at the same time. For smaller
children who are perhaps unable to walk some paint can be poured onto the paper
so the children can crawl through it and move it around with their hands more easily.
Areas
of learning covered:
- Creative development
- Personal and Social development
