Tracey's Tiny Tots

03/10/2026

Today we’ve been busy creating a pumpkin shop in our outside role-play area to provide the children with opportunities to explore autumn through imaginative and meaningful play.

Role play experiences are important as they provide children with opportunities to learn through play while developing a wide range of skills that support their personal, social, emotional, language and cognitive development.

Our learning and development goals:

Develop communication and language skills – children practise speaking, listening, learning new vocabulary and expressing their ideas.

Build on social skills – role play encourages children to share, cooperate, negotiate, take turns and understand other people’s perspectives.

Develop imagination and creativity – children can create their own stories, characters and situations using their imagination.

Understand the world around them – pretending to be a shopkeeper or shopper helps children explore real-life experiences and make sense of their environment.

Develop emotional skills – children can explore different feelings and situations safely, helping them understand and express emotions.

Build confidence and independence – taking on different roles gives children opportunities to make choices, solve problems and develop confidence in their abilities.

Support cognitive development – role play involves thinking, planning, remembering, problem-solving and making decisions.

Develop physical skills – activities such as dressing up, pretending to cook or using props can support fine and gross motor development.

30/09/2026

Today we explored rolling conkers down the bamboo tubes.

A simple but very effective learning activity encouraging fine motor skills, observation, coordination, language and communication.

28/09/2026

Rainbowsaurus 🌈 🦕

The children loved reading our Rainbowsauras book supported by visual pictures, props, experiments and learning materials.

The children explored how we can feel happy, sad, worried, excited, angry or calm and discussed things that might make us feel each emotion.

We also explored the important message that everyone is different and that our differences make us special. The children talked about how people may look different, enjoy different things, have different feelings and learn in different ways.

This supported the children’s understanding of themselves and others, developing empathy, emotional vocabulary, confidence and respect for individual differences.

The children also became dinosaur scientists.
We added our lava rocks into the volcano, watching them erupt and change in colour and consistency.
We talked about what we could see, hear and feel.

The children used descriptive language such as fizzing, bubbling, erupting, foamy, hot, cold, fast and slow. This provided opportunities to develop their communication and language, while also supporting curiosity, problem-solving and early scientific thinking.

We used clay to make dinosaur fossil prints to take home to share with our family.
We used books, both descriptive and electronic to find out some interesting facts about dinosaurs.

21/09/2026

The children showed curiosity and interest as they looked closely at one another through the transparent perspex.

They explored their facial features, including their eyes, noses, mouths, hair and ears, noticing similarities and differences between themselves and their friends.

The activity encouraged the children to observe carefully, develop their awareness of themselves and others, and engage in a shared experience.
The clear screen provided an interesting opportunity to explore reflections, transparency and how they could see their friends through the material.

18/09/2026

Natural environments stimulate curiosity and inquiry, encouraging our little ones to observe, question, investigate and make sense of the world around them.

So many sensory explorations were had today in a magnificent natural environment where we met with our friends to play, discover and learn.

15/09/2026

The children enjoyed exploring and investigating clay using a range of movements, including rolling, pinching, pushing, squeezing and moulding. They used their imagination and creativity to create their own pots, while developing their fine motor skills and hand strength.

Why Hands-On Learning Matters 🧠

Brain Development: When toddlers touch, squeeze and build, their brains wire themselves for complex problem-solving.

Fine Motor Control: Simple daily actions strengthen the small muscles in fingers and hands needed later for writing and drawing.

Independence: Practical tasks boost confidence and teach self-care.

15/09/2026

28/08/2026

Lovely little trip to end the summer holidays with the amazing Freja Lister 🥰

25/08/2026

The gifts and presents are always amazing and truly appreciated but it’s the personal touch and thoughts that are written into every ‘thank you’ card that gets me every time 🥺❤️

I have the best job in the world and I thank every one of my families for putting your trust in me to care for, love, develop and protect your precious littles ones.

You will always be welcome in our home and I’m proud and privileged to be a part of your families lives ❤️

11/08/2026

The children explored pressing leaves into clay to create different patterns and textures, developing their fine motor skills and creativity.

Some of the children went on to create some wonderful clay pots. This encouraged them to think about design and structure which in turn supported them to ‘keep on trying’ until they had created a pot they were proud of.

Such a lovely experience out in our local community with our friends.