Littleleaps Nursery and Pre-School

18/09/2026

Yesterday the toddler and pre-school children enjoyed a wonderful visit to the park, where they explored a wide range of equipment including the slide, climbing frames and the trampoline. They showed great confidence as they tried new challenges and practised their physical skills.
Along the way, some of the children took part in a colour hunt around the surrounding area and on the walk to the park, excitedly spotting different colours in the environment and sharing their discoveries with their friends.
What a fun morning exploring the world around us! :)

07/09/2026

Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle incorporates dance, music and large movements to help children develop the fine muscle control they need for writing. They will learn a new gross motor movement to a piece of music while holding 'flappers' (bits of fabric) while dancing along to the music. The children then transfer these movements to floor level and swap their flappers for writing tools (crayons/pens etc) to make marks on paper etc. They will then use this action to think of letters they can form that use this shape. These sessions are great fun but most importantly help your child to be confident mark makers. The pre-school children have loved our squiggle sessions so far this term! :)

03/09/2026

🏡 Home From Home ❤️

Creating a cosy, inviting space where our children can play, explore, develop and belong. ❤️🌱

31/08/2026

🚨 PARENTS - IMPORTANT CHILDCARE FUNDING DEADLINE TODAY! 🚨

Today, 31st August 2026, is the application deadline for Early Years Entitlement (EYE) government-funded childcare for the Autumn Term (1st September - 31st December 2026).

⚠️ PLEASE DON’T MISS THE DEADLINE!

If you miss the Autumn Term deadline, your child may not be able to access their government-funded childcare until the start of the following term - the Spring Term (1st January - 31st March 2027).

👶 Your child may now be newly eligible if they reached one of the following ages on or before 31st August 2026:

• 9 months+ EYE - if your child became 9 months old on or before 31st August 2026.
• 2-year-old EYE - if your child became 2 years old on or before 31st August 2026.
• 3-year-old EYE - if your child became 3 years old on or before 31st August 2026.

🔄 Previously not eligible?

If you applied before and were not eligible, but your circumstances have since changed, you can make a new application for the next term.

⚠️ IMPORTANT - DON’T FORGET TO RECONFIRM YOUR CODE

EYE eligibility codes expire approximately every 3 months. When your code is due to expire, you will need to reconfirm your eligibility through your Government Gateway account.

💻 CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY & APPLY TODAY

You can check your eligibility and apply for government-funded childcare at:
👉 www.beststartinlife.gov.uk

✅ Please check your eligibility, apply or reconfirm your code TODAY to avoid missing the Autumn Term deadline.

📢 Please share this post with other parents and carers who may be eligible - they may not realise the deadline is today!

If you have any questions, you can contact Littleleaps Nursery and Pre-School

📩 [email protected]
📞 01476 575205
🌍 www.littleleaps.co.uk

Advice and support 
for your child’s development

26/08/2026

Today we celebrated International Dog Day with a range of hands on activities linked to the children’s interests in this topic area. The children enjoyed looking at photos of their own family dogs on Tapestry, as well as pictures of staff dogs, sparking lots of conversations about pets, names, colours and similarities.

During welcome time in the pre school group, we played “Doggy, Doggy, Doggy, Where’s Your Bone?” which encouraged listening skills, turn taking and early problem solving.

The children in the baby room explored a sensory dog tray filled with themed items to scoop, sort and investigate. We also shared a selection of dog themed books, supporting language, storytelling and curiosity.

Outside, the toddler children took part in a dog hunt around the garden, searching for our nursery toy dog and working together to spot clues. They also enjoyed a maths recognition game using dog bones, practising counting, matching and number identification through playful learning.

It was a lovely day full of imagination, role play, conversation and exploration, all centred around the children’s interest in dogs.

26/08/2026

The children took part in a Photography Day where they explored different types of cameras and experimented with taking their own pictures/ making their own cameras. They enjoyed designing their own photos, taking selfies and learning how to hold and use the cameras/ Ipads independently.

Some children spent time looking at family photographs, talking about the people who were important to them and making connections between home and nursery. They showed lots of curiosity about how pictures are made and enjoyed comparing their own photos with the ones they had taken.
The babies explored a sensory tray of family photos and pulled out their own photos, saying the names of their friends and family.

Throughout the session, the toddler and pre-school children demonstrated creativity, confidence and problem solving as they experimented with angles, poses and using the camera buttons. It was a lovely opportunity for them to express themselves and explore technology in a meaningful, playful way.

20/08/2026

Creating Stories Together 🌟📚

Today, a group of children had the opportunity to become the authors of their very own story, with the support of an adult.

The children were given time and space to think, share and express their own ideas. They captured their thoughts through drawings on a whiteboard, using their creativity and imagination to develop the story together.

The teacher then retold the story using the children’s own drawings, ideas and words, helping to bring their shared story to life. ✨

A wonderful example of how we can value children’s voices, encourage creativity and give them ownership of their learning. ❤️

13/08/2026

Sunshine, smiles and plenty of water play💦🌞. The children loved dipping into the shallow pool and waiting for their turn to get splashed by the water squirters. A perfect way to stay cool while having fun with friends and staff 😁💙

11/08/2026

The babies have been busy engaging in a variety of playful, sensory and outdoor experiences. It’s been wonderful to see their curiosity growing each day as they explore new activities, build confidence, and enjoy discovering the world around them.

31/07/2026

This week we celebrated the International Day of Friendship with activities that helped the children explore kindness, togetherness, and what it means to be a good friend.🥰

The children in the baby room enjoyed creating a beautiful friendship Tree, working together to make colourful prints using paints. They loved exploring the textures, sharing space, and watching their marks join together to make one special artwork that represents friendship in our baby room.

The preschool children were busy designing friendship cards for their friends at nursery. They carefully chose colours, added drawings, and talked about the friends they wanted to give their cards to. It was lovely to see how thoughtful and proud they were of their creations. 🫶