Tots Play Isle of Wight

Is your baby on the move?

Wondering how best to play with them as they head towards toddlerhood?

At this age your little one will be curious about the world around them, and fascinated with just about everything they come across. They will be using all their senses, and their new movement skills to explore and learn - and the best way to support this learning and development is through play.

Repetition is an important part of learning and you might find they want to play their favourite game or listen to their favourite song over and over again. While they’re able to play a little by themselves they prefer playing with parents or other adults - so you will remain their favourite playmate for a while to come.

Some great activities for children around this age include:

- movement games, singing, dancing, action rhymes
- push along toys, push and pull toys, posting boxes,
- all kinds of sensory play
- exploring natural materials, like pine cones or shells
- splashing in puddles, water play, messy play

Play is the best way to help children learn and there are so many ways to bring it into your day.

Need some more inspiration? Join us at Tots Play, where you’ll find lots of play ideas perfect for older babies and toddlers, for you to enjoy together.

Each one is carefully researched and chosen to help boost your Tot’s development, and simple enough to do together at home through the week too - so the fun and learning doesn’t need to stop when you leave class!

Head to http://www.totsplay.co.uk to book your class today, and come and join in the fun! xx

🤩 DROP‑IN SPACES AVAILABLE THIS FRIDAY 🤩
(Perfect if you’re juggling Isle of Wight Festival plans)

If a full or half‑term block doesn’t quite fit your week — especially with festival weekend coming up — our drop‑in places are a lovely, flexible way to enjoy Tots Play.

They’re ideal for shift workers, parents with changing schedules, or anyone who just wants to pop in and enjoy a class without committing to a full term.

💛 We have some drop‑in spaces available for THIS Friday 19th June.
You can check and book them here:

https://bookthatin.com/link/UMF1LZ

We’d love to welcome you along before the festival fun begins. 🎶

Sandra & Amy xx

❤️🤍⚽️
This little lady came to her class today dressed in her England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 dress ready for tonights game!!

Who is with her?! 🩷 xx

Why Repetition Matters for Your Little One's Learning

If you’ve been to a Tots Play class, you’ll know we love a good routine. You might spot some familiar songs, activities, and equipment popping up each week. That’s no coincidence – it’s all part of the plan. Repetition is one of the most powerful ways babies and toddlers learn.

While it might feel like we’re simply doing the same thing again, for your baby, each repeat is a whole new learning experience. Their brain is working hard to make sense of the world, and seeing and doing things more than once helps build understanding, memory, and confidence.

Repetition also creates a sense of calm. Young children are surrounded by new sights, sounds, and sensations every day. Familiar routines help them feel safe and secure, which makes it easier for them to focus, join in, and enjoy what’s happening.

When your baby recognises a song, remembers what to do with a piece of equipment, or joins in with a favourite activity, they feel a real sense of achievement. This builds self-esteem, encourages independence, and lays the groundwork for even more learning.

So next time your Tot wants to sing the same song or play the same game for the hundredth time, smile and know that they’re learning, growing, and thriving – exactly as they should.

So next time your Tot wants to sing the same song or play the same game for the hundredth time, smile, be proud of their determination to master the skill they are learning about and confident they are developing just as they should!

And if you’re looking for a class where the benefits of both repetition and new experiences are built in to the programme, then we’d love to welcome you along to Tots Play.

What does your little one like to do over and over again?

👀🙌🏻SUMMER BABIES….

It’s never too early to book onto our award 🥇 winning baby development course and our September one especially gets filled up really quickly as we don’t run one over the summer holidays!

So, if you have recently welcomed a new arrival or expecting one over the summer holidays and want to join us then make sure you get booked in asap so you don’t miss out! We only have 🔟 places per course and already have 4️⃣ booked up for September!

Here is the link to book: https://bookthatin.com/link/HAL0KJ and if your baby hasn’t yet arrived and you don’t have a name ready, then when you book pop in the date of booking for baby’s date of birth and baby (then your surname) for their name!

Any questions just let me know. I’d love to welcome you and your new arrival along!

Sandra xx

Guess what?! Booking has opened for our Sept/October Baby Development Course! 👏✨🩵

Our Baby Development Course is suitable from birth to 6 months, and is the perfect way to introduce your baby to the world of baby classes in a calm, slow-paced and gentle way 🤍✨☁️

Our unique Baby Development Class really does have it all! During our course we will help you to learn about (and introduce your little one to):

👐🏾 Baby massage
🧘🏼‍♀️ Baby yoga
👶🏼 Colic relief
🫶🏻 Sign language
🌈 Early development of baby’s senses and how to support this development
🥰 Tummy time activities
🪅 Sensory play
😴 Calming holds & activities
🫧 Bubbles
👩🏼‍🎓 & your baby will have a gorgeous little footprint certificate and graduation opportunity too!

Not only this, you will receive a course workbook full of all of the things we cover in class, so if your little one does decide to sleep or feed through a class you’ll have all of the information you need to try the activities at home at a time that suits you 🥰

Would you like to join one of our next courses? These start in September and will run on Fridays in Whippingham at the Community Hall.

Our courses are always very popular and early booking is recommended. To book, head to the website now ✨ https://www.totsplay.co.uk/isle-of-wight

If your little one hasn’t arrived yet but due before September, you can secure your place now if you know you’d like to come. Just pop their name as ‘baby’ and use today’s date as their DOB when booking. We can alter this for you when they arrive 🤗

As always if you have any questions, please do get in touch. We’re always happy to help!

Sandra & Amy xx

Make your own rainbow shakers! 🌈

Little ones love bright colours, as well as exploring things that make different sounds, and they’ll not only love their own rainbow of shakers like the ones in the picture, but they offer so many fun learning opportunities too.

Line them up in rainbow order, ask your child to find and shake a particular colour, or just let them play and explore however they would like, and discover all the colours, sounds and sensory delights these bring.

The good news is they’re super simple to make. Just find some empty clear plastic bottles (they don’t have to be the type shown), add some small items of a single colour to each, or have some with a mixture of colours. You can pick up lots of bits inexpensively from a craft shop, or see what you already have at home, and get creative!

Seal the tops well, with either a glue gun or tape when you’ve filled the bottles with what you’ve chosen, and you’re ready to play!

Pop a picture or a comment below if you give it a try, and enjoy your colourful fun! xx

☀😎‼️ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL WEEK, CLASS INFORMATION✨🤩✨

Hello Tots!

I hope you have all had a great weekend?

Our classes are running as usual this week so please have a read and take note of the following information in readyness for the traffic chaos for the Isle of Wight festival (18th- 21st June)!

✨ ALL our classes are running as normal.

✨Monday and Tuesday classes should be unaffected by any traffic restrictions.

✨Wednesday Newport Tots, Fairlee Road will be a one way only heading into Newport from the Racecourse roundabout from 10am. Traffic is likely to be busy on this route so please plan ahead and make the necessary diversions where needed if you are coming into Newport, especially from the Ryde/Wootton/East Cowes directions.

✨Thursday Wootton Tots, if you are travelling into us from Newport, again please remember the one way restrictions down Fairlee Road as you cannot get down that road from Newport and expect traffic to be busy.

✨Friday Whippingham Tots, again, if heading to us from Newport please plan and make the necessary diversions to get there as you cannot get there via Fairlee Road.

Despite saying all of this, if you are coming along and end up being delayed, please don't worry or rush, just come on in when you can.

For everyone that is going to the festival this year, we hope you all have a great time!

We will see you on the mats!

Sandra, Amy & Iona x