Vicky Collings Childminding Service

So many wonderful adventures already this year!

We have enjoyed attending playgroups to support social skills, communication and confidence; exploring Mapperley Woods to develop curiosity, physical skills and an understanding of the natural world; visiting Sudbury Hall to encourage imagination, history awareness and exploration; trips to Lanes Garden Centre to see the animals, helping build knowledge of living things and care for the environment; and taking part in Easter crafts to strengthen creativity, fine motor skills and self-expression. So many rich learning experiences supporting all areas of the EYFS!

What looks like “just playing with rice”… is actually lots of learning 🌾✨

Activities like this sensory tray support children’s development in many important ways:

👐 Physical Development
Scooping, pouring and picking up small objects helps to build:
• Hand strength
• Coordination
• Fine motor skills (important for future writing)

🔢 Early Maths – Number & Quantity
Children practise:
• Recognising numbers
• Counting objects
• Comparing amounts (“more”, “less”, “full”, “empty”)

🧠 Learning & Thinking
Children explore cause and effect, make choices and solve problems:
• What happens if I pour it here?
• How many can I fit in the scoop?

💬 Communication & Language
As children find hidden objects, they:
• Learn new words and object names
• Talk about size, shape and texture
• Ask questions and listen to others

❤️ Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Sensory play can be calming and helps children:
• Focus and concentrate
• Feel relaxed and regulated
• Build confidence through independent exploration

✨ Learning through play
This hands-on, child-led activity supports the EYFS and Development Matters by allowing children to learn naturally, at their own pace.

Simple play — big learning 💫

Why we go to soft play 🤸‍♀️

Soft play isn’t just about fun (although there’s lots of that!) — it helps children learn and grow in really important ways.

✨ Builds strong bodies
Climbing, crawling and sliding help develop balance, coordination and confidence in movement.

✨ Supports confidence & emotions
Children learn to take turns, try new things and manage big feelings in a safe space.

✨ Encourages social skills
Soft play gives children chances to play alongside others, share space and communicate naturally.

✨ Helps learning through play
Children problem-solve, explore and learn what their bodies can do — all through play.

So when it looks like “just soft play,” it’s actually supporting your child’s development in a fun, active way 🧠💪

🍂 Exploring Autumn Through Play! 🍁

The past couple of weeks we’ve been embracing the season through a mix of sensory play, art, and outdoor exploration. Each of these activities supports key areas of development in line with the EYFS Development Matters:

🧡 Sensory exploration – Scooping lentils, smelling cinnamon, and feeling different textures helps develop fine motor skills and early scientific understanding.
🍄 Nature walks – Discovering fungi and autumn leaves encourages curiosity, language development, and care for the natural world.
🖐️ Creative expression – Painting, using playdough, and mark-making build imagination, hand–eye coordination, and confidence in early writing skills.
🐰 Real-world learning – Visiting animals supports communication and emotional development through talking about feelings and empathy.
🚜 Outdoor construction play – Moving, lifting, and balancing bricks strengthens gross motor skills, problem-solving, and teamwork.

Every experience is an opportunity to learn through play, helping children build independence, confidence, and joy in discovering the world around them 🌍✨

✨ Exploring Nature Through Play 🌿🍂

Today we’ve been learning outdoors — noticing the world around us and using our senses to explore. The children used clipboards to make marks, helping to build early writing and communication skills 🖍️, and used leaf spotters to match and identify different types of trees 🍁.

These simple activities support key areas of learning:
✅ Communication & Language – talking about what they see, describing shapes and colours.
✅ Physical Development – using fine motor skills to hold crayons and turn pages.
✅ Understanding the World – learning that there are different types of trees and leaves in our environment.
✅ Expressive Arts & Design – making marks and drawings to represent their ideas.

🌟 Learning really can happen anywhere — even on a sunny walk outside!

🌱 Learning Through Play – The Magic You Don’t Always See 🌱

Over the past couple of weeks we've...

🍇 Mashed blackberries to use as paint
🖌️ Printed with veggies & stamps
🧱 Built towers with blocks
🔨 Hammered golf tees into the ground
🤸‍♀️ Explored soft play
🐠 Visited the aquarium shop

…and behind the giggles, so much learning was happening! 💛

✨ Strong hands & bodies – mashing, stacking, hammering & climbing build hand–eye coordination, muscle strength and control — perfect for future writing and self-care skills.
✨ Focus & concentration – hammering tees takes patience, precision and problem-solving.
✨ Big conversations – chatting about colours, textures & fish grows vocab + confidence.
✨ Creative thinking – mark making, building & role play spark imagination.
✨ Friendship skills – turn-taking, sharing & exploring together build patience & belonging.

Play isn’t “just play” — it’s powerful, purposeful learning. 🌟

We’ve been making so many wonderful memories lately 🌟 From adventures at the park 🛝, messy play fun 🎨, and even having a go at archery 🎯 — to a very exciting animal encounter 🐌🪲, the children have had lots of opportunities to explore, learn and grow.

Climbing and park play builds strength and confidence 💪, messy play sparks creativity and curiosity ✨, archery encourages focus and resilience 🎯, and meeting real animals up close helps the children develop care, courage and a sense of wonder about the world around them 🌍.

So proud of how brave, imaginative and enthusiastic they’ve been through it all 💛

✨Weekly Round-Up ✨

What a fun and busy week we’ve had! 💛

🖍️ We’ve been exploring mark making with playdough — building those all-important fine motor skills and strengthening little fingers for future writing. Lots of squishing, rolling and creative chatter along the way!

🏞️ We’ve made the most of the lovely weather with park visits, giving the children space to run, climb, balance and practise turn-taking on the equipment. (That seesaw was a big hit! 😉)

🛒 Our shopping trips were a great opportunity to talk about healthy choices and involve the children in planning for snack time — developing their understanding of the world and early maths through counting and choosing.

🎨 We also joined our lovely local playgroup, giving the children a chance to socialise with new friends and try different activities in a new environment.

It’s been a week full of laughter, learning, and lots of independence building — all supporting their personal, social, and emotional development in line with the Development Matters framework. 🧠❤️