Keli's Little Gems Childminder

🍉🍈 “But they don’t like it…” — so why do we keep serving it? 🍈🍉

Because at KLG, “no thank you” doesn’t mean “never again.” 💛

When one of our gems decides they don’t like a particular fruit, we don’t pressure, persuade or insist that they eat it — but we do continue to make it available.

And there’s some really interesting psychology behind why. 🧠✨

Young children are naturally cautious around unfamiliar foods. It’s thought to be an evolutionary protective response, and during the toddler and preschool years food neophobia — a reluctance to try unfamiliar foods — is particularly common.

Research suggests children can need repeated exposure — often around 8–15 times, and sometimes considerably more — before they become comfortable enough to accept a new food. And importantly, an “exposure” doesn’t necessarily mean eating it.

🍉 Seeing it
🍈 Smelling it
🍉 Touching it
🍈 Watching it being prepared
🍉 Having it sitting safely on their plate
🍈 Licking or taking a tiny taste
🍉 Watching somebody else enjoy it

They’re all little steps towards familiarity and then there is the wonderful power of peer modelling. ❤️

Children are incredibly observant social learners. When a gem sees their gem Besties happily reaching for watermelon, tasting melon and enjoying it without anybody making a fuss, that food begins to feel familiar, normal and safe.

We create opportunities for curiosity:

“It’s here if you’d like to explore it.”

Because pressure can actually make children more resistant to foods, whereas repeated, relaxed and positive experiences can help build familiarity and willingness to explore.

So the watermelon might be ignored today. Next week it might be poked.
Another day it might be smelled.
Then perhaps a gem bestie eats a piece and suddenly… they decide to taste it too. 🍉🥰

This is why we continue to offer a colourful variety of fruits at KLG, even when we know some gems aren't eating them yet.

We’re not just feeding children for today.

We are helping them build a positive relationship with food for life. ❤️

🍋💛 WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS… LEARN, EXPLORE & PLAY! 💛🍋

“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I may remember. Let me experience it, and I understand.” ✨

Today our Gems explored the humble lemon — and what might look like a lovely yellow painting activity was actually packed with opportunities for learning, discovery and development. 🍋🎨

We began with stories and language, exploring the words lemon and yellow, before taking our learning outdoors. The Gems painted with brushes of different sizes, experimented with colour and mark-making, explored numbers within the provision and investigated real lemons through touch, smell and — very bravely — taste! 😝🍋

🧠🍋 But there was some fascinating psychology happening too…

Young children often approach unfamiliar foods cautiously — and that's perfectly understandable. Familiarity develops through repeated, positive experiences. Importantly, food exploration doesn't have to begin with eating. A child can look at a food, touch it, smell it, play alongside it and eventually choose to taste it.

When we make that exploration playful, social and pressure-free, children can build positive associations with unfamiliar foods while retaining a sense of choice and control.
And tasting a lemon offers an instant lesson in cause and effect:
👀 What does it look like?
👃 What does it smell like?
✋ How does it feel?
👅 What happens when I taste it?
🤔 Do I like it? Would I try it again?

That little taste becomes a miniature scientific investigation — prediction, experimentation, sensory processing, emotional reaction and communication all wrapped up in one gloriously sour mouthful! 🍋😂

This is what purposeful provision looks like at KLG: literature, art, sensory exploration, early mathematics, language, physical development and real-world experiences woven naturally together through play.

Because sometimes the richest learning doesn't need a worksheet or a complicated activity…

Sometimes, it just needs a lemon. 🍋💛✨

👑 Dress-Up Is So Much More Than Dress-Up! 🦖✨

To little ones, dressing up is magical. One moment they're a self styled dinosaur queen, the next they're a doctor, astronaut or superhero. But beneath the giggles and imagination, something incredible is happening...

Every costume zipped up, crown balanced on a head or pair of glasses carefully chosen is building essential lifelong skills.

💚 Independence – Pulling on sleeves, fastening zips, balancing hats and making choices about what to wear all develop self-help skills and confidence. Every "I did it myself!" is a huge achievement.
🧠 Cognitive Development – Role play encourages children to think creatively, solve problems, remember stories and create their own. They begin to understand different roles, perspectives and the world around them.
✋ Fine & Gross Motor Skills – Dressing up is a fantastic workout! Fastening, stretching, balancing, reaching, bending and coordinating movements all strengthen the muscles needed for writing, self-care and everyday tasks.
💬 Language & Communication – Imaginative play naturally encourages conversation, storytelling, negotiation and introducing new vocabulary. Children often become far more confident communicators when they're "in character."
❤️ Social & Emotional Development – Pretending to be someone else helps children explore emotions, develop empathy and learn how to cooperate, share ideas and work together with friends.
🌈 Confidence & Identity – Choosing who they want to be allows children to express themselves freely, explore their interests and discover that their ideas matter.

Research consistently shows that imaginative play supports executive functioning—the brain skills responsible for planning, flexible thinking, self-regulation and working memory. In other words, what looks like "just playing" is actually helping to build the foundations for future learning.

At KLG, we don't see dressing up as simply a rail of costumes. We see it as an invitation to explore, create, problem-solve, communicate and shine.

Because sometimes... the biggest learning happens when you're wearing a dinosaur suit, a crown and a pair of pink sunglasses. 👑🩷🦖✨ 💛

Just two members of a boy band, enjoying their last day together and showing the world what it means to be an amazing friend! ❤️❤️😍😍

🛝 Slides Work More Than One Way 🛝

At KLG, we don't always believe there is a "right" way to play.

Sometimes the greatest learning happens when children decide to climb up the slide instead of sliding down it.
To an adult, it might simply look like fun. To an early years practitioner, it's an incredible opportunity for learning.

Climbing up a slide develops:
⭐ Gross motor strength and coordination.
⭐ Core stability, balance and body awareness (proprioception).
⭐Motor planning as children work out where to place their hands and feet.
⭐Risk assessment skills as they judge distance, speed and their own abilities.
⭐Problem-solving and perseverance when it feels difficult but they keep trying.

But the benefits don't stop there...
Psychologists describe this as "desirable difficulty" – when a task is just challenging enough to encourage the brain to build stronger neural pathways.

Every small success releases dopamine, the brain's "feel-good" chemical, reinforcing motivation and encouraging children to tackle new challenges with confidence.

There's social learning too. Children naturally begin negotiating turns, encouraging friends, adapting their approach when someone else is using the slide, and celebrating each other's achievements. These everyday moments are where empathy, communication and cooperation quietly flourish.

Most importantly, climbing to the top under their own determination gives children something priceless...
💎 "I did it!" 💎

That sense of achievement becomes confidence. Confidence becomes resilience. And resilience becomes the belief that, "If I can do this, maybe I can do something even bigger tomorrow."

So, at KLG, we see play differently. Every carefully considered opportunity has purpose, and sometimes the best learning happens when we allow children to explore equipment in safe, creative and unexpected ways. 🤩

Sun's out ☀️ tort's out 🐢

The gems get such joy from taking care of Hubert and have been so happy to share their garden with him today ❤️

Understanding the world 🌎
Team work 👩‍❤️‍👩
Communication & language 💬
Physical development & vitamin D ☀️
Learning to nurture ❤️
Science & nature 🐢

All this learning in the glorious sunshine with besties! 🥰