Daffodils Childminding - Caerleon

Daffodils Childminding - Caerleon Registered childminder in Caerleon, Newport
Qualified teacher with over 10 years experience My name is Melissa and I am a registered childminder.

I am a qualified Primary School Teacher and have 10 years experience teaching in Early Years and Key Stage 1, in both Inner London schools and local schools. I am extremely passionate about how children learn and develop and can provide your child with an excellent environment to develop their skills and knowledge in all areas of learning. I have lots of experience in working with children who hav

e additional needs and English as an additional language and am confident in tailoring the curriculum to support individuals. I live with my husband and two young daughters. We have a large home with a generous garden to offer children plenty of space to play and learn. At Daffodils, our children are encouraged to develop a love of learning, to be independent, creative and curious. We have a strong emphasis on communication and language. Story telling, reading, singing songs, repeating rhymes and lots of pretending, feature heavily in our day to day play. We use high quality texts to immerse ourselves in different topics and themes, and follow children's interests. Please get in touch if you would like more information about Daffodils Daycare :)

Why do children love repetition? Each of their brain cells can have 15,000 connections to other brain cells. How do they...
16/06/2026

Why do children love repetition?
Each of their brain cells can have 15,000 connections to other brain cells. How do they strengthen those neural pathways? By using them!

We have read the same books over and over. I could definitely repeat them word for word in my sleep!
Each time we read them, the children are learning something new and are building upon the things they learnt last time we read the book:
*naming objects and characters
*hearing and repeating new vocabulary
*understanding the story
*anticipating and predicting the next event
*noticing small details in the illustrations
*identifying emotions and developing empathy
*thinking about other cultures and ways of living

As adults, we may sigh and say 'oh, not that book again. We've read it so many times!' But, just think of all those opportunities to strengthen brain connections when you read a book your little one loves ❤️

Sharing books and developing a love for reading is so important at Daffodils 📖 📚

16/06/2026

A little win worth celebrating! 🌟

One of our little ones mastered the dip and flip technique for putting on their coat all by themselves — and the look of pride on their face said it all.
They couldn’t wait to show Mummy and Daddy their new skill! Moments like this are such a big part of early years learning.
Building independence helps children grow in confidence, resilience, and self-belief… and it all starts with small steps like this.

Here’s to celebrating every success, no matter how tiny — because to them, it’s huge 💛

🌦️ Music, Movement & Weather Magic!Yesterday we attended an interactive session all about exploring the weather through ...
16/06/2026

🌦️ Music, Movement & Weather Magic!

Yesterday we attended an interactive session all about exploring the weather through music, movement and storytelling, and the children absolutely loved it.
Their favourite part was definitely the giant fan — their very own “wind machine”. They were completely fascinated, giggling as the wind blew through their hair as they pretended to be leaves, clouds and flying birds. Such a brilliant way to bring learning to life.
We used musical instruments and body percussion to represent different types of weather:
*Pattering rain with tapping fingers
*Rumbling thunder with drums and stomping feet
*Whooshing wind with shakers and swishy scarves
*Bright sunshine with big, stretchy movements

The children listened, copied, created their own ideas and moved their bodies with so much confidence and joy.
We finished with some messy and sensory play, exploring textures, colours and materials linked to the weather — the perfect way to wind down after all that dancing and storytelling.

A morning full of imagination, music, movement and lots of happy little learners.

01/06/2026

Our table top has had a little makeover as we move into our nursery rhymes 🎶 focus.
Many of the children are working on their next steps for joining in with songs, copying actions and becoming more confident with familiar rhymes. To support this, the table is now filled with props and characters to help them sing along, act out the rhymes and bring the songs to life through play.

30/05/2026

🍓 Strawberry Picking Adventures!
Today we headed out to the farm for one of our favourite summertime traditions — picking the biggest, juiciest strawberries we could find. The children took their job very seriously… although a few strawberries may have mysteriously disappeared straight into little mouths along the way. Quality control is important after all. We even had a bit of unexpected excitement when a very determined chicken decided to follow us — clearly she loves strawberries just as much as we do. Lots of giggles, lots of running, and one very cheeky chicken.
After filling our tubs (and tummies), we enjoyed a peaceful walk along the canal, watching the ducks, and chatting about all the things we’d seen at the farm. A perfect finish to a sunny morning of exploring, tasting, and laughing together.

“That’s not my…” Park FunA lovely morning at the park using our “That’s not my…” boards to explore colours and textures....
22/05/2026

“That’s not my…” Park Fun

A lovely morning at the park using our “That’s not my…” boards to explore colours and textures. The children loved finding things that were, shiny, spiky, smooth, bumpy, rough, soft and hard — and naming all the colours they spotted around the park.

Such a simple activity, but brilliant for building vocabulary and observing the world.

20/05/2026

🐝 World Bee Day Fun!
We had the buzziest morning celebrating our brilliant little pollinators.

We started with calm, glowing sensory light play while watching slow‑motion bee clips — completely mesmerising. Then the children got busy baking honey biscuits and oat cakes, and yes… they tasted as delicious as they sound.

Next came some brilliant fine‑motor fun: using fingers and tweezers to transfer chickpeas into our “honeycomb”, followed by rolling and shaping our own playdough bees. Tiny hands, big concentration.

To finish, we headed off on a pollen pom‑pom hunt, collecting “pollen” to pop into our wooden block beehive. So much teamwork, giggles, and learning wrapped into one activity.

A wonderful morning with friends Little Explorers Childminding joining in the fun — celebrating bees, play, and the joy of being together.

After school, the children enjoyed getting busy with the light table, playdough, and painting bee pictures.
🐝💛

18/05/2026

🦋BREAKING NEWS:🐞
Local children save dozens of bugs from a wobbly jelly disaster.
Heroes covered in goo.
Learning levels: very high.
Clean‑up levels: even higher.
Great sensory exploration today.

Forest School - The best classrooms have trees for walls 🌳
12/05/2026

Forest School - The best classrooms have trees for walls 🌳

✨ Happy Childminders’ Week from me! ✨ Being a childminder is a bit like being part teacher, part chef, part storyteller...
11/05/2026

✨ Happy Childminders’ Week from me! ✨

Being a childminder is a bit like being part teacher, part chef, part storyteller, part detective… and part magician. Every day I get to watch little people grow in confidence, curiosity, and kindness.

This week, I’m celebrating the magic we create together:
🌈 Turning ordinary moments into learning
🎨 Watching imaginations explode during messy play
🧩 Helping children discover who they are
💛 Being a safe, familiar person they can rely on
🥰 And sharing so many giggles, cuddles, and “look what I can do!” moments

And I can’t forget one of the best parts of the job — having a childminder bestie who just gets it. The one you can share ideas with, laugh with, vent to, and celebrate the tiny wins that only another childminder truly understands. Every job is better with a sidekick, and I’m lucky to have mine Alethea Munson 💕

Childminding isn’t just childcare — it’s building relationships, nurturing tiny humans, and creating a home‑from‑home where every child feels seen, valued, and loved.

To all my wonderful little ones (past and present) and their families: thank you for trusting me with your most precious people. You make this job magical. ✨

Happy Childminders’ Week! 🌟

Address

Caerleon
NP181

Telephone

+447814097210

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