Boys & Girls Nursery

A useful guide for our families about screen time in early years 🫶

Screens are now often part of everyday family life. 📱

Most young children use screens in some form and for many parents they can be a useful tool for learning, entertainment and staying connected with family and friends. However recent government guidance highlights that while screens are now a normal part of childhood, how, when and what children watch matters.

The first five years of life are a crucial time for brain development. During these early years, children learn best through talking, playing, exploring, moving and spending time with caring adults.

What does the new guidance recommend? 🧐

Children under 2 years:
- Avoid screen use where possible.
- Video calls and shared activities with a parent or carer are okay.
- Focus on face to face interaction, play, singing, reading and conversation.

Children aged 2 to 5 years
- Aim for no more than one hour of screen time each day.
- Avoid screens during mealtimes.
- Avoid screens during the hour before bedtime.
- Choose age appropriate, slower paced content.

The quality of screen use is just as important as the amount.

Better choices:
☑️ Watching together and talking about what you see
☑️ Slower paced, age appropriate programmes
☑️ Video calls with family members
☑️ Interactive content that encourages conversation and learning

Try to avoid:
❎ Fast paced, social media style videos
❎ Endless scrolling content
❎ Screen use during meals
❎ Screens as part of the bedtime routine
❎ Young children using devices alone for long periods

Simple questions such as:
“What do you think will happen next?”
“Can you spot the red car?”
“How do you think that character feels?”

Can turn screen time into a shared learning experience.

🫶 Remember: Talk more. Play more. Read more. Connect more. 🫶

These everyday interactions are some of the most powerful ways to support your child’s development.

If you're interested in learning more, read our guide on screen time here: https://happydaysnurseries.com/blog/screens-and-young-children/

⭐Celebrating 10 years at Boys & Girls Nursery⭐

We are celebrating 10 years of Maria at Boys & Girls!

Maria has been an asset to our Rickmansworth Baby room since joining the team. Together with Karis she has built a nurturing, calm environment for our babies to start their nursery journey. Maria cares for our babies as though they are her own, whilst offering our parents reassurance and support as their little one settles into nursery life. Maria has a wealth of knowledge and experience with babies and young children, and is always eager and willing to extend this knowledge through extra learning and courses. Maria is a valued member of our team here at Rickmansworth and we count ourselves very lucky to have her!

Thank you and congratulations on 10 years Maria! 💙🩷

Pre-Schoolers have enjoyed their life-cycle projects at nursery, watching hungry caterpillars grow and emerge as beautiful butterflies 🐛🦋

It has been wonderful to watch our children’s curiosity and understanding develop, as they eagerly observed the transformation over a number of weeks alongside a variety of activities to truly embed their learning 💙🩷

Lifecycles are a fun and creative way to get young learners excited about science. It helps children to understand how living things grow and change, and develops our children’s understanding of the world around them 🌏

With the hot temperatures we have been experiencing this week, it's the perfect time to share some useful information about keeping children safe in the sun ☀️

The podcast it short enough for you to listen to whilst doing the dishes or in the car on the go, enjoy! 👇👇

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kzWgvW6i9RvpcPeoPGCIM?si=fqYaQ8u4TlWAX7fgdEoPxw'

It's sun safety awareness month and with all the hot weather we've been having what better time to discuss sun safety? ☺️

We're delighted to announce that the wonderfully knowledgeable Marie from SKCIN (a charity doing incredible work around skin cancer prevention and sun safety education) has joined us on our podcast.

Episode 1 - Sun Safety in Early Years Settings: A Guide for Practitioners
Episode 2 - Keeping Children Safe in the Sun: A Parent’s Guide

Both episodes are absolutely packed full of helpful information on how to keep your children safe in the sun. If you're a parent, carer or just someone wanting to learn more about sun safety, episode 2 is a must listen. 🌞

Key Topics covered:
💫 Home routines
💫 Holidays and days out
💫 Safe clothing and sunscreen
💫 Helping children build independence
💫 Myth Busting
💫 Long-term habits

Whether you’re at home in the garden, heading to the park, or packing for a holiday, we can almost guarantee you'll learn at least one new thing to help you on your way.

We've kept it short enough for you to listen to whilst doing the dishes or in the car on the go, enjoy! 👇👇
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kzWgvW6i9RvpcPeoPGCIM?si=fqYaQ8u4TlWAX7fgdEoPxw

Over the past couple of weeks, we have welcomed some special guests in to our nurseries, with visits from Ark Farm Limited. Our children have enjoyed fun and educational sessions and got to meet and learn about a variety of different animals 🐰🐹

We are super proud of our children who demonstrated wonderful social skills, listening carefully to the instructions given, being respectful, and showing an eagerness to learn more about the amazing animals! 💙🩷

Goodbye from Natasha

18 years ago, at 23, I walked into our Watford nursery with a belief (and probably a fair bit of naivety) that I could build something special.

Today, I’m sharing that I have made the decision to sell Boys & Girls.

What started as an idea grew into something far more meaningful than I ever imagined. Together, we built not just nurseries, but communities - places where children felt safe, valued and inspired to grow.

Places where families trusted us with what mattered most. And places where passionate, dedicated teams created environments full of care, laughter and learning every single day.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of watching thousands of children take their first steps, build confidence and move on to school ready for the world ahead. Seeing many of them now as young adults is something that will always make me incredibly proud.

This journey hasn’t been without its challenges - especially while raising four daughters alongside developing and supporting the nurseries - but every step has been worth it. It has shaped me not only as a leader, but as a person.

The success of Boys & Girls has never been about one person. It’s been about the people - the incredible teams (past and present) who gave their all, every day. I am endlessly grateful for their commitment, resilience and heart.

I’m pleased to share that Boys & Girls has been acquired by Happy Days Nurseries, a group whose values and ethos closely align with everything we have built. I have every confidence they will continue to nurture and grow what makes these nurseries so special.

As I step into a new chapter, I do so with a full heart. Grateful for the memories, proud of what we created and thankful to everyone who has been part of the journey.

Thank you to all the children, families and colleagues who made this such an unforgettable part of my life.

Natasha 💙🩷

We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter last week💙🩷

Our children wore their Easter bonnets to nursery, enjoyed tasting traditional hot cross buns and taking part in egg hunts, plus we loved welcoming our families in for our Easter open afternoons! Thank you to everyone who came🐣🐥

Thank you to everyone who joined in with the fun on to help us raise money for Comic Relief.

Together, Boys & Girls Nursery raised over £170! A great amount that will go towards supporting local community organisations in the UK and internationally.

Thank you again for your support. 🙂