Mrs Henry’s Helpful Hints

03/09/2026

Quality interactions in practice ✨

I don’t record my children at nursery, so when people ask me what quality interactions look like in my classroom, I can’t always show them.

But the best way to learn what good interactions and meaningful talk look like is to see and hear them in practice.

When I was editing this video, I realised just how much talk was naturally happening.

Clara is 22 months old in this video, and you’ll notice that I’m not asking her endless questions or expecting her to constantly give me an answer.

Instead, I’m using some of the same skills I use within my nursery practice:

✨ Commenting on what she is doing
✨ Narrating her play
✨ Watching carefully and following her lead
✨ Giving her eye contact when she looks up at me
✨ Pausing and giving her time to respond
✨ Using her body language and facial expressions to understand what she knows and understands

Quality interactions don’t always mean asking lots of questions.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is watch, listen, comment and respond.

Our children are communicating with us all of the time — we just need to make sure we’re paying attention. 🤍

03/09/2026

A great addition to our regulation area! Sensory resources like these can be used in so many different ways to support children’s wellbeing, language, curiosity and development.

Here are 5 ways I would use them in EYFS:

✨ Supporting calm and regulation
✨ Developing vocabulary and language
✨ Supporting focus and attention
✨ Encouraging curiosity and investigation
✨ Developing physical skills and coordination

I love that these sensory animal rollers are so simple and open-ended, meaning children can explore them in lots of different ways.

Thank you KCS Education for gifting these to us!

02/09/2026

Morning activities in Nursery ☀️

Remember, whatever you decide works for you and your children is the right choice for your setting. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to starting the day in EYFS!

By bringing our children into a focused activity within the carpet area in the morning, it allows us to:

✨ Keep children safe and away from the open door during arrival
✨ Start the morning in a calm, predictable and purposeful way
✨ Develop children’s skills and knowledge of how to use the resources within the classroom
✨ Focus on key areas that need further development
✨ Build relationships and spend quality time interacting with the children

I find that having this consistent routine helps our children know exactly what to expect when they arrive and gives us a calm start to the day.

What does your morning routine look like in Nursery? 👇

01/09/2026

Our nursery morning routine 🤍

I love nothing more than a calm and purposeful morning routine.

Children thrive when they have structure and know exactly what to expect. Having a consistent routine helps our children to feel settled, secure and ready for the day ahead.

Our mornings are calm, predictable and purposeful, giving the children time to arrive, settle into their day and know exactly what comes next.

A strong routine doesn’t mean every morning has to look perfect, but having those familiar steps in place can make such a difference.

What does your morning routine look like?

31/08/2026

Nursery rhymes are so important for language development, vocabulary, listening skills, rhythm and rhyme awareness… and they can play such an important role in supporting children’s early literacy too! 🎶

That’s why I love these nursery rhyme packs from Sarah Hunter .

They come with everything you need to use them throughout your provision. I have them in my music, maths and reading areas, as well as using them during carpet inputs and interventions.

Sarah kindly gifted me some of these packs, but I’m a little bit obsessed with them… so I’ve gone ahead and ordered some more myself! 🙈😂

Such a simple resource, but with so many different ways to use them throughout the day.

Comment RHYME and I’ll send you the link to these incredible resources! ❤️

31/08/2026

My nursery timetable for Autumn 1 🍂

This is something I get asked about all the time, so I thought I would share exactly what I’m doing this September!

But one thing I always say is that timetables aren’t set in stone. I change mine throughout the year depending on the children, their needs and what is working best for our class. This one for September allows extra time before and after the carpet session to allow for routines such as tidying up.

This year, I’m focusing on slowing things down with short, snappy and repetitive carpet sessions, while trusting in our provision and my amazing team. ❤️

If you’d like a copy of my Autumn 1 nursery timetable for free, comment TIMETABLE below and I’ll send it straight to you! 👇

30/08/2026