Childminding with Love

Today’s sensory tuff tray invitation was full of bubbles, flowers, scooping, pouring and exploration 🌸🫧

Our children loved investigating the different textures, smells and natural materials while developing:
✨ Fine motor skills
✨ Communication and language
✨ Imaginative play
✨ Curiosity and confidence

From making “flower soup” to carefully pouring bubbly mixtures, this open-ended activity encouraged child-led learning through play in the sunshine ☀️

I love that this is an activity all children can access in their own way, with different learning outcomes depending on their stage of development and interests. Some children explored sensory textures and filling and emptying, while others created imaginative stories, practised turn-taking and developed new vocabulary 💚

Sensory play like this supports children to explore, create, problem-solve and engage all of their senses in a calm and meaningful way.

Her excitement was contagious today ✨

Moments like this are why I love my job so much. Fuelled by rice cake and crackers (in hand not being eaten) and singing twinkle twinkle ❤️

Childminding Week ✨

Celebrating the magic of childminders — the people who help shape childhood with love, care, patience, and endless encouragement.

At Childminding With Love, we are more than a setting — we are a family. Every child who walks through our door is welcomed, valued, supported, and cared for as one of our own. ❤️

Our home becomes their second home — a place where children feel safe, comfortable, loved, and truly belong, rather than simply attending a childcare setting. We create a warm, nurturing environment where children can relax, play, learn, and grow with confidence.

We believe childhood should be filled with:

* Adventures and days out
* Laughter and friendships
* Learning through play and real-life experiences
* Nature, creativity, and discovery
* Comfort, kindness, and security

From exploring parks and farms, to baking, messy play, story time, and everyday little moments, we create rich experiences that help children grow in confidence, curiosity, and happiness.

Childminding is not just childcare — it is building memories, nurturing personalities, and helping children feel safe enough to shine, while also learning boundaries, respect, independence, and how to keep themselves safe as they grow.

Here’s to the magic of childminding and the beautiful childhoods we help create every single day. 🌈✨



Coram PACEY

Yesterday we celebrated Sir David Attenborough with a wonderful morning exploring nature in the woods 🌿🍂

The children enjoyed identifying colours in nature, searching for plants and finding their own paths through the woodland. Along the way we explored the wonders of language by introducing descriptive words such as hard, soft, rough and smooth, helping to build communication and vocabulary through real-life experiences.

Nature also gave us lots of opportunities for early maths learning as we counted steps, compared sizes, spotted patterns and talked about shapes and colours in the environment. It was lovely to see curiosity, confidence and problem-solving skills grow through outdoor exploration and discovery 🍃✨

☀️ Sun Safety for Babies, Toddlers & Children ☀️
Keeping children safe in the sun helps protect their skin now and in the future 💛

👶 Babies under 6 months
Keep out of direct sunlight
Use shade, wide‑brimmed hats and loose, long‑sleeved clothing
Sunscreen is not recommended – speak to a health professional if unsure

🧒 Babies over 6 months, toddlers & children
✅ Use SPF 30+ (or higher) sunscreen
✅ Apply generously and reapply every 2 hours, and after swimming
✅ Wear hats, sunglasses and protective clothing
✅ Encourage play in the shade, especially between 11am–3pm
✅ Keep children hydrated with regular drinks

🌻 Remember: Sunburn in childhood increases the risk of skin damage later in life.

What a wonderful resource that popped up on my feed this evening!

As a family with a child who struggles with mental health, anxiety can sometimes feel overwhelming and hard to break away from. This “anxiety loop” resource is such a simple but powerful way of helping children (and adults!) understand what’s happening in their minds and bodies, and how those thoughts, feelings and behaviours can keep the cycle going.

I love how it opens up conversations in a gentle, visual way and helps children feel less alone in what they’re experiencing. Definitely something I’ll be keeping in mind to support little ones in my care 💛

If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s well worth a look!

Children’s anxiety is real. It is not “just a phase” and it is not something they can simply switch off. When a child gets stuck in worry, their brain is trying to keep them safe - but it can become overwhelming very quickly. The same “what if” thoughts repeat, the body reacts, and everything starts to feel more and more real.

What we often see on the outside - constant questions, avoidance, meltdowns, needing reassurance - is a child doing their best to cope with something that feels scary and out of control.

The difficult part is this. When anxiety takes over, our natural instinct as adults is to reassure, fix or remove the fear. Sometimes that helps in the moment, but it does not always help the child feel stronger long term. Real support is about helping children feel safe while also learning they can handle worry, face uncertainty and build confidence over time.

This is not about ignoring anxiety. It is about understanding it, responding with care, and giving children the tools they need so it does not control their lives.

Free THE WORRY LOOP IN CHILDREN: UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY CYCLES POSTER

LIKE the photo and comment "LOOP" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

Just took part in a great training course with Early Years South West! It has changed my thinking on how we explore physical development and not focusing so much on every milestone, but looking at motivation for each child to move!

We’ve got a very special new addition to our setting 🐾 meet Bluey!

He arrived last weekend and has already been joining us on the school runs, meeting the children, and having a little bit of fun along the way. He’s already becoming part of our daily routine!

Of course, he also has his own safe spaces, and the children are doing an amazing job learning the rules around when and how to say hello—showing kindness, being calm, and understanding boundaries.

It’s been a lovely way to introduce another important life skill… and safe to say, there have been lots of smiles all around 💛

🌞 Sun Safety Reminder 🌞

With the UV levels reaching around 5, we’re making sure all our little ones stay safe while enjoying the outdoors ☀️

At our setting we:
🧴 Apply sun cream when UV levels are above 3
🧢 Wear hats and light, protective clothing
🌳 Spend time in the shade, especially during peak hours
💧 Keep hydrated with plenty of drinks

Did you know? 🤔
That small “12M” symbol on sun cream bottles means it should be used within 12 months of opening. After that, it may not protect as well. We’ve started labelling our sun creams with the date they are opened to make sure they’re always effective ✔️

Please remember to:
✔️ Apply sun cream to your child before arrival

Keeping everyone safe in the sunshine!