Cheeky Monkey Day Nursery Leeds

We are currently experiencing a power cut in the area we have no access to nursery emails and phone lines are currently down, we are not sure how long this is going to be for…

Our preschool children have enjoyed a wonderful mix of hands‑on learning this week. Colour mixing, sensory exploration, creative stamping, early maths and emotional awareness activities have helped build confidence, curiosity and communication skills. We love watching their ideas come to life.

So many rich learning opportunities this week for our Toddlers, colour mixing, mark‑making, fine‑motor challenges, imaginative play and early maths exploration. Our children learn best when they’re hands‑on, curious and having fun, and these activities have sparked so much conversation, creativity and joy.

So many opportunities for learning this week for our children in Tweenie room, sorting, pouring, colour matching, exploring textures, caring for animals and celebrating our wonderful planet. Hands‑on play helps build early language, fine motor skills and curiosity about the world around us.

Our babies have enjoyed a wonderful mix of sensory play, storytelling and creative activities. Painting, small‑world setups, colour exploration and imaginative role play all help build early language, fine motor skills and a love of learning.

We’re excited to begin the next phase of our development: redesigning the main garden. This will be a collaborative project involving staff ideas, designer input, and plenty of creativity.
Watch this space for updates as the transformation begins.

🌿 The Benefits of Outdoor Play in Nursery
Outdoor play is one of the most powerful parts of early years learning. It supports children’s development in ways that indoor activities simply can’t replicate, helping them grow physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively.

🌱 Physical Development
Builds gross motor skills through running, climbing, balancing and jumping. Strengthens muscles, coordination and overall physical confidence. Encourages healthy habits and active lifestyles from an early age.

🌈 Emotional Wellbeing
Being outdoors reduces stress and supports self-regulation. Children feel calmer, happier and more focused after time outside.
Nature provides space for children to express themselves freely.

🤝 Social Skills & Communication
Outdoor spaces encourage cooperation, turn‑taking and teamwork.
Children negotiate roles, solve problems together and build friendships. Open-ended play outdoors boosts language as children describe, plan and explore.

🧠 Cognitive & Creative Development
Natural environments spark curiosity, imagination and problem‑solving. Children experiment with materials, explore cause and effect, and test ideas. Outdoor play supports early maths and science through real-world experiences.

🌦️ Resilience & Independence
Children learn to assess risk, make decisions and build confidence.
Managing uneven ground, weather changes and new challenges strengthens resilience. Outdoor play encourages independence and a sense of achievement.

🌍 Connection to Nature
Helps children develop respect and care for the environment.
Encourages observation of seasons, wildlife and natural changes.
Builds early understanding of sustainability and the world around them.

On Tuesday Sammy (our SENCO) and Sarah (head of our preschool room) took a Makaton course. They both found this really useful and are going to be putting this in our everyday practice in nursery straight away. They will be doing the next part of the course next Tuesday.

🌼 What Makaton Is
Makaton is a communication system combining signs, symbols and spoken words. It is widely used in Early Years settings to support children who are developing language, have speech delays, or simply benefit from visual reinforcement. Unlike British Sign Language, Makaton is designed to support spoken language, not replace it. Adults speak while signing, helping children link words with actions and meaning.

🌟 Key Benefits of Using Makaton in a Nursery
1. Supports Speech, Language & Vocabulary Development
Signing alongside speech helps children understand and remember new words. It bridges the gap for children who are pre-verbal, shy, or have delayed speech. Reduces communication frustration by giving children a way to express basic needs such as drink, help, or toilet.
2. Enhances Understanding & Learning
Visual symbols and signs reinforce meaning, helping children process language more easily. Supports children with English as an additional language by giving clear visual cues. Helps children of all developmental stages build concepts and follow routines.
3. Promotes Inclusion & Social Interaction
All children can join in with songs, stories, and group activities, regardless of speech ability. Children feel more confident and included when they can communicate successfully. Strengthens relationships between children, staff, and families through shared communication.
4. Improves Emotional Wellbeing
When children can express themselves, frustration and anxiety decrease. Staff report improvements in children’s confidence, participation, and friendships.
5. Makes Play, Songs & Stories More Engaging
Signing during nursery rhymes, circle time and storytelling makes activities more interactive and memorable. Children can use signs during role play, helping them join in with peers.
6. Supports Early Identification & Intervention
Using Makaton helps staff notice communication needs earlier. Parents can learn signs too, creating consistency between home and nursery.

🌈 Why Nurseries Are Becoming “Makaton Friendly”
Many settings now work towards being Makaton Friendly, meaning staff are trained, the environment uses symbols, and Makaton is embedded into daily routines. This helps children feel empowered, understood, and able to participate fully.

Our Tweenies have really focused on celebrating Easter and engaging in lots of Easter-themed activities the past few weeks. The children decorated their own eggs while we talked about the different colours we could see and what colours we were going to use. They also explored different animals related to Easter, such as the duck tuff trays with different eggs on them. We discussed the different types of bunnies we can find and had a special visit from the Easter bunny, which all the children loved. The children also took part in an egg hunt, finding different eggs around the room and collecting them into a basket.

🌈☀️ HELLO SUNSHINE! ☀️🌈

The weather is getting warmer and brighter — yay! 🌼🦋
We are excited to spend lots more time playing outside!

To keep everyone happy, safe, and smiling, please bring:

🧴✨ SUN CREAM
• Please label it with your child’s name 🏷️
• Pop it in their bag each day
• Bonus: apply some before nursery 😊

👒🌟 A SUN HAT
• Don’t forget to label it too! 🏷️
• Helps keep little heads cool and protected

🌻🌞 Let’s enjoy the sunshine safely together! 🌞🌻

Thank you for your help 🌞🌞🌞