The Old Station Nursery Oxford

✨ Why Sensory Play is So Beneficial for Babies ✨

Sensory play is so much more than just fun—it's an important part of your baby's early development! 💛

Through exploring different textures, colours, sounds, smells, and movements, babies learn about the world around them while building essential skills.

🌈 Sensory play helps to:
👶 Encourage brain development and learning
🖐️ Strengthen fine and gross motor skills
💬 Support early language and communication
❤️ Promote emotional regulation and confidence
🔍 Develop curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity
🤝 Encourage social interaction and bonding with caregivers

The best part? Sensory play doesn't have to be complicated. Everyday items like water, soft fabrics, wooden spoons, bubbles, and safe natural materials can provide wonderful learning opportunities

The children in our baby room particularly enjoy san play, water play, gloop and calm time with different sounds and lights!

Today our little bakers have been whipping up their very own chocolate chip cookies... with playdough! 🤎👩‍🍳👨‍🍳
The children in our baby room explored and manipulated playdough using different tools as well as their fine motor skills to pinch, pull and stretch the playdough and created their very own version of chocolate chip cookies.

Open-ended play has encouraged the children to think creatively, solve problems, make decisions, and express themselves with confidence. They have shared ideas with their friends, developed their communication skills through role play, and shown fantastic teamwork as they explored together. It has been wonderful to watch their imaginations grow as they turned simple resources into exciting adventures, creating their own stories and bringing their ideas to life through play.

World Bee Day

On World Bee Day, preschool children will learn about the important role bees play in helping flowers, fruits, and vegetables grow. Through stories, songs, crafts, games, and hands-on activities, children will explore how bees collect pollen and make honey while developing early literacy, maths, and fine motor skills. This fun and engaging celebration encourages curiosity about nature and helps children understand the importance of caring for bees and the environment.

Last week was National Ice Cream Day! 🍦🎉

We had so much fun making our very own ice cream using homemade “gloop,” colourful sprinkles and ice cream cones! 🍨✨

The children developed their fine motor skills as they scooped, sprinkled and decorated their creations. They also explored early scientific concepts, watching the gloop change from a solid to a liquid, while enjoying a fun and engaging sensory experience. 🧊➡️💧👀

A messy, creative and delicious day of learning through play! 🍦💛

🌙✨ Monday was National Moon Day and our little astronauts had an out-of-this-world adventure! 🚀👩‍🚀

The babies loved exploring our moon-themed tuff tray filled with coloured sand, moons, astronauts, pots, and scoops. They had so much fun filling, pouring, scooping, and discovering all things space! 🌕🪐

As they played, they were developing their fine motor skills, using their imaginations, and learning lots of new words along the way. Learning through play is always the best adventure! 💙✨

If you're planning to use funded childcare from September for the autumn term, this is a quick reminder that you'll need to submit your valid funding code to us by Friday 31st July.

* New parents to The Old Station Nursery Group and existing parents claiming funding for the first time should:
1. Apply to receive your funding code: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0x6X4L0
2. Submit your code to us by 31st July: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0x6XvY0

* Parents currently receiving nursery funding for a child already in attendance at The Old Station Nursery Group need to reconfirm their eligibility status by logging in to your GOV account at UK Childcare Service: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0x6XLv0

🦈💙 Happy National Shark Day! 💙🦈

Today our babies had a wonderful time celebrating National Shark Day through lots of sensory exploration and creative play.

They enjoyed exploring our sea-themed tuff tray, using their hands to investigate a variety of textures, colours, and ocean treasures. Sensory experiences like these help to support curiosity, confidence, and early development in a fun and engaging way. 🌊🐚

Our little learners also became very creative, using a range of different materials to make their own unique sharks. It was lovely to see them exploring, creating, and expressing themselves with such enthusiasm.

A fantastic day filled with smiles, discovery, and lots of underwater fun! 🩵🦈

Role play is so much more than just dressing up and pretending—it's one of the most valuable ways young children learn and develop.

When children become doctors, shopkeepers, firefighters, chefs, or parents, they are building essential life skills every step of the way. Through role play, children:
✨ Develop language and communication skills.
✨ Build confidence and self-esteem.
✨ Learn to solve problems and think creatively.
✨ Explore emotions and develop empathy.
✨ Strengthen social skills by taking turns, sharing, and working together.
✨ Enhance their imagination while making sense of the world around them.

Role play gives children the freedom to express themselves, test out ideas, and practise real-life situations in a safe and supportive environment. Whether it's a home corner, a construction site, a veterinary clinic, or an exciting imaginary adventure, every scenario offers opportunities for meaningful learning.

Because when children play, they aren't "just playing"... they're learning skills that will support them for life. 💛