The Nest nursery and preschool

Is your child starting reception in September? If so, you may have been hearing about 'school-readiness'.

School readiness for reception isn't about whether they can hold a pen properly, know the alphabet or count to 100! School readiness is more about their physical and emotional development. This includes:

- Communication and language - expressing they need help, recognising their name
- Being with others - taking turns and sharing
- Personal Care - dressing themselves, toilet and hand washing skills
- Listening and engaging - following simple instructions, paying attention for short periods

Do remember that every child develops at their own pace and we're working with your children to help them as much as possible.

If you want to find out more about school readiness and how you can help your child; visit our blog: https://www.thenestdaynurserybrighton.co.uk/post/starting-school-help-your-child-to-get-ready-for-reception

Come and explore 👀 one of our Peripatetic Classes, run by ✨

Once a month at The Nest, we welcome Coach Michael, our fantastic Pro Tots coach. Pro Tots is an exciting multi‑sport programme led by a highly experienced and fully qualified coach. Across the sessions, children are introduced to a wide range of sports including cricket, basketball, football, hockey, tennis, athletics and rugby.

These lessons give children the opportunity to explore different sports, build confidence, and develop new skills. They learn how to focus on a specific task, begin practising early competitive skills, and enjoy being creative and expressive. Activities like these encourage health, fitness and—most importantly—FUN.

This month Michael introduced the children to some early football skills, practicing:
- Balancing the ball on a cone for a kick‑off
- Moving the ball around the room using one foot
- Stopping the ball with the bottom of their foot before kicking again

One of our Puffins even impressed Michael with a giant run‑up before kicking the ball. Go Team Puffins!

At The Nest, we hold group circle times throughout the day, giving children and staff the chance to come together for meaningful conversations. These moments allow us to share stories, talk about our day, explore ideas and interests, or simply enjoy a book together. It also helps children practise taking turns, speaking confidently in a group, and developing the important listening and sitting‑together skills that will support them as they move on to school.

During our morning session, the children are invited to answer simple questions such as What day of the week is it? or What is the weather like today? This encourages them to think, recall information, and build repetition skills that strengthen memory and understanding.

Staff use a wide variety of props and resources to make each circle time unique and engaging. These are chosen to reflect the children’s interests and individual personalities, ensuring every child has the opportunity to take part, have a go, and feel involved.

At The Nest we offer regular Peripatetic Classes for all our children, designed to inspire, engage and spark imagination. They take place during the nursery day and are fully included in your fees.

One of these sessions is led by Sarah from Robot Reg - , a high‑energy phonics class that opens up a world of early literacy. Through songs, movement and playful activities, the children begin to explore and understand early phonics skills in a fun and meaningful way.

This week, our Bluebirds group explored the sound ‘N’ through an exciting under‑the‑sea adventure. The children used their gross motor skills to “catch” fish from the ocean using nets, pretended to be aeroplanes while making long ‘nnnnn’ sounds, and finished the session with one of their all‑time favourite activities — bubbles.

The children are always thrilled when Sarah arrives and can’t wait to discover what delights she has brought with her. They sit and listen with deep concentration, full of awe and wonder, and the session becomes a key talking point for hours afterwards.

The children love helping out in the garden and had a great time recently planting seeds to learn about how plants and flowers grow.

Each day we went out to water them and talk about the changes we could see. The children were so excited when the first little shoots began to appear.

Activities like these are a wonderful way to help children understand how things live and grow, while nurturing their natural curiosity about the world around them.

At The Nest we love spending time outdoors and exploring nature. We are very lucky to have a wonderful garden space that the children can freely access every day, all year round.

One of our favourite activities is investigating all the different types of bugs we can find. There is always so much to discover! The children enjoy watching them closely and even gently holding them on their hands, noticing how they crawl and move their bodies.

We then use books to help us identify the bugs we find, learn what they like to eat, and talk about where they live.

We've had a great month here at The Nest as Springtime brought a burst of colour to the setting. The nursery was filled with bright eggs, fluffy chicks and beautiful flowers — everything we needed to get excited for the season.

We also got to celebrate one of our brilliant team members who has been promoted, by hosting a special leavers’ and Easter tea party all in one. It was a fantastic chance for children, families and staff to come together, share smiles and send lots of good wishes.

We enjoyed yummy treats, painted and crafted our own salt‑dough creations, made colourful cards, and explored a wonderfully messy Easter malleable tray. Most importantly, we spent time together, chatting, laughing and making memories.

Recently our Wrens and Bluebirds enjoyed a lovely walk to our wonderful local Queens Park.

Whilst there, the children went on an exciting bug hunt to see what insects they could find. We searched through the grass, peered into muddy holes, and looked closely at the twigs and leaves on the trees. Activities like this spark awe and wonder, help the children learn about their local environment, and teach them the importance of caring for the creatures that live within it.

After our picnic snack we took a walk around the pond, where we spotted a variety of birds - including some very curious swans who followed us along the path, hoping for a snack!

Our trip ended with some energetic playtime in the park, giving the children a chance to climb, slide, and explore the playground equipment.

We are so lucky to have such a beautiful outdoor space so close to the nursery, giving the children opportunities to explore nature and discover the world around them.

Good luck to all our families getting news of their school places today.

Once you have confirmed your place, do let us know so we can start to prepare for your child's school transition.