Coteswood House Pre-School & Day Nursery

World Cup 2026 Canada theme🇨🇦

The tuff tray was arranged in the shape and colours of the Canadian flag, helping babies make early connections to the host nation. The train represented Canada’s famous mountain railway journeys, which travel through the spectacular Rocky Mountains and are known for passing snow-capped peaks, forests, lakes, and breathtaking landscapes. The babies were fascinated by moving the train along the pathways, developing their understanding of movement, direction, and cause and effect. The Canadian flag-shaped layout encouraged visual exploration and recognition of patterns and colours, while the sensory rice provided opportunities for tactile discovery. Through handling the train, scooping the rice, and exploring the themed environment, the babies strengthened their fine motor skills, concentration, curiosity, and early awareness of the wider world and different places beyond their immediate environment. The activity supported language development as practitioners introduced words related to Canada, trains, mountains, travel, and the World Cup, enriching the children’s vocabulary through meaningful play experiences.

Today the Fox Cubs took part in a country-themed activity linked to the World Cup, focusing on England, our home and heart. The children explored some of the landmarks, symbols and traditions that make England special, including recognising famous sights such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye, alongside the St George’s Cross flag.

The children engaged in a sensory exploration activity, using flour and coloured materials to recreate the English flag. They used brushes, scoops and their hands to manipulate the materials, developing their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and control. As they explored the textures and created patterns, they demonstrated curiosity, concentration and creativity.

Throughout the activity, the children were encouraged to talk about what they could see, ask questions and share their own experiences of England. This supported their communication and language development, extended their vocabulary and encouraged conversations about communities, belonging and culture. The use of toy horses alongside the landmarks sparked imaginative play, storytelling and role-play opportunities as the children created their own ideas and narratives.

This experience helped the children develop an awareness of the wider world while also fostering a sense of identity and pride in their local culture. It provided opportunities to build knowledge of geography, recognise national symbols, engage in sensory learning and work collaboratively with their peers through shared exploration and discussion. 🏴🤍

To celebrate England playing in the World Cup today, the children in Preschool enjoyed creating their own England flags using tissue paper and glue. This activity helped develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and creativity while encouraging conversations about football, teamwork and supporting our country.

The children had lots of fun preparing for the big game and showing their England spirit!

Come on England! ❤️🤍⚽

This afternoon the Owl Babies enjoyed exploring a World Cup 2026 England-themed tuff tray. The tray was set up with an England flag made from coloured rice, pictures of famous English landmarks, toy horses, cups and a camera prop to encourage curiosity and exploration. The babies were keen to investigate the different textures, using their hands to touch, scoop and move the rice around the tray. They showed interest in the objects and pictures, looking closely and making connections through sensory play.
This activity supported the babies’ sensory development as they explored the feel and movement of the rice. It encouraged fine motor skills through grasping, scooping and transferring materials between containers. The babies were developing their communication and language skills as practitioners introduced new vocabulary linked to England, colours, landmarks and the World Cup. The tray also promoted early understanding of the world by exposing the children to cultural events and national symbols in a simple and engaging way. Opportunities for shared play helped to develop social skills, turn-taking and positive interactions with peers and adults, while the open-ended nature of the activity encouraged curiosity, concentration and independent exploration.

Today the babies explored France through a sensory and cultural tuff tray inspired by the World Cup 2026. They showed curiosity as they investigated the red, white and blue coloured rice representing the French flag, using their hands and tools to scoop, pour and explore different textures. The babies were introduced to French culture through photographs and objects linked to France, including the Eiffel Tower, French foods and cameras, encouraging them to make connections with the wider world. They demonstrated developing fine motor skills while manipulating the resources and engaged in early communication by pointing, vocalising and responding to the items presented. The activity supported their understanding that different countries have unique landmarks, traditions and foods, helping to promote cultural awareness, curiosity and an appreciation of diversity from an early age.

Today, as part of our World Cup 2026 learning journey, the babies explored Egypt through a sensory tuff tray designed to introduce them to the country’s culture, landmarks and traditions. The tray included sand to represent the Egyptian desert, pyramids, Egyptian flags and figures linked to Egypt’s rich history. The children showed curiosity and engagement as they explored the different textures and resources, using their senses to investigate and interact with the environment. They developed their fine motor skills through scooping, grasping and moving materials while also building their communication skills as adults introduced simple vocabulary such as “Egypt,” “pyramid,” “desert” and “flag.”

This experience supported the babies’ understanding of the world by helping them learn about one of the countries taking part in the World Cup 2026. Through hands-on exploration, they began to develop an awareness that people live in different places around the world and have unique cultures, landmarks and traditions. The activity encouraged curiosity, cultural appreciation and early geographical awareness while providing a meaningful and engaging sensory learning experience.

The owl babies morning experiences

The babies were provided with playdough, sea life figures, and shells to explore through hands-on sensory play. They showed interest in pressing the shells and sea creatures into the playdough, observing the marks and impressions left behind. As they pushed the objects into the dough and lifted them away, they began to notice cause-and-effect relationships, recognising that their actions created visible changes in the material. The babies used their hands and fingers to squeeze, press, poke, and manipulate the playdough, supporting the development of fine motor strength and coordination.

During the experience, the babies demonstrated curiosity and problem-solving skills as they experimented with different amounts of pressure and explored how various objects produced different patterns and textures. The activity encouraged sensory exploration through touch while fostering early cognitive development, spatial awareness, and an understanding of how actions can influence outcomes. Opportunities for language development were supported as educators introduced descriptive words such as "soft," "smooth," "print," "shell," and "sea creature," helping to build vocabulary and communication skills within a meaningful play context.

Today the preschool children have been learning all about how we clean and keep our teeth healthy. We brushed the dinosaurs’ teeth, read stories about visiting the dentist and discussed which foods help to keep our teeth strong and healthy and which foods can cause damage if eaten too often. The children were highly engaged in the activities, showing curiosity as they explored the importance of brushing teeth regularly and making healthy food choices. They demonstrated growing understanding by confidently identifying foods that would make their teeth “happy” and “sad” and were able to talk about why brushing helps remove germs and keep teeth clean.

This learning experience provided opportunities to develop communication and language skills through discussion, listening to stories and sharing their own experiences of brushing their teeth at home. The children also strengthened their personal, social and emotional development as they learned about self-care, healthy habits and taking responsibility for their own wellbeing. Fine motor skills were supported through the brushing activities, as children practised controlled hand movements while cleaning the dinosaurs’ teeth. The activity also encouraged critical thinking and early scientific understanding as children explored the relationship between food choices, hygiene and oral health.

During this under-the-sea activity, the preschool children were engaged in exploring a marine environment through a variety of open-ended resources, including sea creatures, shells, drawing materials, and projected ocean imagery. The children showed curiosity and imagination as they discussed what they could see, identified different sea animals, and created their own underwater stories and representations. This experience supported communication and language development by encouraging conversations, questioning, and the introduction of new vocabulary related to ocean life. As the children manipulated the small-world resources and used mark-making materials, they developed fine motor control, creativity, and hand-eye coordination. The activity also promoted an understanding of the natural world, helping children learn about marine habitats and the creatures that live within them, while fostering collaboration, problem-solving, and imaginative thinking through shared play and exploration.

The Fox Cubs took part in a cress-growing activity, providing opportunities to explore the natural world through hands-on learning. The children were encouraged to touch the seeds, soil, and water, supporting sensory development as they experienced different textures and materials. As they carefully sprinkled seeds and helped water them, they developed fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Practitioners introduced simple language such as “seed,” “grow,” “water,” and “plant,” helping to build vocabulary and communication skills. Over time, the children will have the opportunity to observe changes as the cress begins to grow, supporting early understanding of cause and effect, patience, and an awareness of living things and how they are cared for.